Becoming Who We Are
by element90
Summary: Things do not change...we change. Henry David Thoreau
1. Chapter 1

"Does this make me look frumpy?"

Turning from side to side, Keely inspects herself in the full-length mirror on her closet door.

"Ahem." She looks down at Phil lying in the floor with his head propped up on her fuzzy pink heart-shaped pillow.

"Yep," he replies glancing at her quickly before returning his attention to one of her trendy magazines.

Shock registers on her face as she gasps, but Phil doesn't notice.

Keely frowns. "I really look frumpy?"

He nods without looking at her. She narrows her eyes at him and kicks his foot.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?"

"For calling me frumpy!"

Phil rolls his eyes. "No..what I said was 'yep' to your 'does this make me _look_ frumpy'."

Keely stares at him blankly. "What's your point?"

He sighs in defeatand resumes his reading. Keely continues to model her outfit in the mirror.

"Well, I think I look pretty darn good," she says admiring herself.

"That's great," Phil mumbles with disinterest.

Keely spins around to face him. "Phil!" she whines.

"Hold on a sec, would ya?"

She raises her eyebrow at him. "What are you reading anyway?" she asks curiously as she peers at the cover of the magazine.

"Hottest spring fashions?" she chuckles. "Phil, you hate clothes."

He scoffs still engrossed in the pages. "Yeah, 'cause of you."

"Me?" Keely asks skeptically.

"Uh huh." He glances up at her. "Do you realize how many clothing stores I've been in this week alone?"

Keely rolls her eyes. "Like I forced you to go to any one of them."

Phil lowers his eyes and mutters, "I swear you've put some kinda spell on me."

"Wow..you've found me out," she says ironically.

He ignores her and turns a page and his eyes widen. "Hmmm, " he says to himself.

Keely puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head. "You're checkin' out the models, aren't you?"

Phil quickly closes the magazine and tosses it over his head where it lands on top of her bed.

"You say something?"

Keely laughs and shakes her head. "Phil, Phil, Phil."

He looks up at the ceiling and places his hands behind his head. "I plead the fifth."

With a sigh, Keely falls onto her stomach on her bed tucking her hands under her chin.

"I'm bored."

Phil nods. "I hear that."

"Let's do something then."

Phil glances up to find her looking down at him. "Like what?"

She furrows her brow. "I don't know..you're smart..so get to thinkin'."

"You're not wrong," he grins as herhand swats at his head.

"Alright." He thinks for a moment. "We could go to my house and play around with some future gadgets."

Keely looks unenthusiastic at the prospect. "Eh."

Phil thinks again. "We could..go to the mall," he offers with a smile.

For a second Keely's eyes light up, but she shakes her head. "Nah."

"No mall?" Phil pushes himself up to look at her. "Are you feeling ok, Keel?"

She glares down at him unimpressed with his attempt at humor.

"Well, what _do_ you want to do?"

Dragging herself to a sitting position against her headboard, she shrugs her shoulders.

"Aren't you tired of doing the same old stuff everyday?"

Phil looks at her in confusion drawing his knees up to hang his arms around them. "I don't know," he says with a shrug. "I think our lives are pretty exciting actually."

Keely scoffs. "Yeah, whenever your half-baked schemes backfire because one of your futuristic thingys malfunction and we end up looking like fools before finding a way to redeem ourselves and save the day...our lives are exciting."

"Considering that happens every other week, it's still not enough for you?"

"I guess even that is getting old," she answers with a weary voice.

Phil looks a bit hurt by her words, but Keely doesn't notice since she's looking at the clock on the small table beside her bed.

"Maybe we should just call it a day."

Phil regards her silently for a beat before slowly rising to his feet. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he says a bit disappointed.

Keely's distant gaze lingers on the window. Phil watches her wondering what's going on inside her head right now, but he doesn't ask. Instead, he clears his throat and moves to her door.

"Bye, Keel," he says softly.

She turns her head his direction without any expression on her face. "See ya," she says before turning back to stare out the window.

Phil's unsure of her sudden change in behavior, and his brain yells at him to question her about it, but his feet carry him out the door as his worrisome eyes cast a final glance at her.

Long after he's gone, Keely remains exactly where he left her while troubling thoughts plague her mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hey."

Phil jogs up beside Keely. "I waited for you at your locker."

"Class let out a little early since everyone was done with the test."

He nods. "How'd it go?"

"My palms didn't sweat..if that's any indication."

Phil grins and pats her shoulder supportively. "Sounds like you did well."

Keely hooks her thumbs on her belt loops and lowers her chin. "Yeah."

"You just survived a geometry exam, Keel. Where's your pep?"

She unemotionally gestures with her head behind them. "Heard something hit the ground back there..maybe I dropped it."

"Keel.." Phil places his hand on her elbow to bring her to a stop. "Are you ok?"

She shrugs. "What do you mean?"

Raising an eyebrow, Phil explains, "You really haven't been yourself the past few days."

"Oh _really_? Well, then tell me, Phil, exactly who am I _supposed_ to be?" she snaps at him.

Phil leans back. "Uh.."

Keely sighs and resumes walking. Phil follows her after a beat, but stays a several inches behind to be on the safe side.

"Would you quit looking at me like that, please?"

"How do you even know I'm looking at you in any way at all?"

She spins around and narrows her eyes at him. "Look..I apologize for snapping at you..I've just..had a long day."

"It's ok, Keel," Phil says with an understanding voice. "I'm sorry about your day."

Keely looks down at the ground feeling bad for the way she treated him, but worse for how he's now treating her.

"Thank you."

Phil shakes it off. "Come on, how about I let you use the Wizrd to redecorate my bedroom anyway you like."

He nudges her playfully. She can't resist.

"Seriously? Whatever I want?"

Phil smiles throwing his hands up into the air. "Fill it will purple bunnies if you wish..just as long as that frown turns upside-down," he says wagging a finger at her.

Keely rolls her eyes. "You're such a dork," she says lightly.

"Ah ha! See..we're already makin' progress."

She tries to supress the grin tugging at the corners of her lips, but her attempts are futile up against his goofy boyish charms.

"So what do ya think?"

Keely stands proudly admiring her handiwork..or the Wizrd's. Phil winces at the huge daisies plastered onto his now green walls.

"It's like being in your own little private field of flowers," she sighs dreamily.

"Uh huh, sure is." Phil gently takes his gadget from her hand and quickly drops it into a drawer. He rubs his hands together. "Now that that's over.."

"Hey! You're the one who gave me free reign," says Keely crossing her arms over her chest.

Phil nods. "And I love it."

Keely's not so convinced, but she let's it slide. She looks back at the wall in thought. Suddenly, she's not so happy with it. She frowns in disgust not at the sight before her but at what it represents. She glances at the drawer where Phil hid the futuristic tool with a strange look on her face.

"I'm gonna go," she says abruptly.

"Why?" asks Phil as his face drops.

Grabbing her jacket off his bed, Keely replies dishonestly, "Homework."

"Need a one-man-audience by any chance?" Phil asks hopefully.

Keely raises her eyebrows at him.

"No?" he asks.

Shaking her head, she walks to the door. "Not today, thanks," she says over her shoulder.

Phil hurries to block her exit. "Uh..so..what're you studying on tonight?"

Keely eyes him suspciously. "Phil?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you stalling?"

Phil scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Why would I do that?"

She shifts her weight to one foot and puts her hand on her hip.

"Yes, I'm stalling," he concedes under pressure.

"Why?" Keely asks evenly.

"I just thought..I thought the redecorating trick would keep you here longer than thirty minutes," he admits.

"You don't have to trick me into coming over, Phil."

He looks doubtful. "Lately I feel like I do."

Keely shakes her. "Has anyone ever told you that you worry entirely too much?"

"I can't help it," he grins at her. "Genetics."

Keely smiles involuntarily. "I know I've not been over here 24/7 as of late, but maybe that's not such a bad thing."

Phil's face contorts in confusion with a bit of hurt thrown in. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rather than try to explain what she can't even explain to herself, Keely waves off his question.

"Nothing. It doesn't mean anything." She steps into the hallway and looks back at him. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

She's out the front door before Phil can react to whatever just happened.

Something is going on with his best friend, but he doesn't understand what that something might be or where it's coming from. Sometimes...she's totally Keely...but then she starts to become something else not so Keely.

Hopefully, he's reading too much into things. Hopefully, Keely is exactly the same girl he's always known. Hopefully.

I plan to update on a pretty regular basis..assuming anyone's interested.

Oh and the program I'm currently using to type up my stories does not allow me to keep certain characters when I submit them...so I hope everyone can tell when the scenes shift. Sorry.

Hermione781: Yes I could've used sarcastically, but ironically is synonymous so...perhaps sarcastically would've been better to use...now that's gonna bug me forever...hmmm...anyway thanks for the review!

Also I'd like to thank everyone who read my very first fanfic "The Conversation." I really, really appreciate your kind reviews. Thanks! And I hope you enjoy this one too!

Reviews are welcome and will be greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Your order, Miss."

Keely closes her locker door and looks at Phil who's holding a donut on a small paper plate.

"Um..no thanks, Phil," she says shaking her head.

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "But it's Thursday..you always have a spray-donut on Thursdays."

"Well, maybe now I don't," she replies in a slightly annoyed voice.

"Ok," he says slowly.

Keely shrugs. "Donuts are unhealthy anyways."

Phil glances down at the sugary sweet. "I suppose."

"Hey, you could give it to Owen," she says adjusting her purse strap on her shoulder. "You know him and free food."

"Yeah."

Sympathy passes over her features as Keely contemplates Phil's wounded expression. She mentally berates herself for being cold towards him, but she honestly doesn't feel like she can be anything else at the moment.

"Well, I better get to class," she tells him suddenly needing to distance herself from him out of guilt for her attitude.

Phil looks up to respond, but she's already turned her back on him and is walking down the hall.

Owen stalks up behind him. "Hey Differ," he says while eyeing the donut. "Whatcha got?"

Without facing him, Phil rolls his eyes and raises the plate over his shoulder. "Here."

"_Really?_" Owen asks as his face lights up.

"Sure."

He takes the plate from Phil and eagerly stuffs the donut into his mouth. "Awesome!" he mumbles with his mouth full.

Phil sighs and walks away leaving a very appreciative friend to happily devour his breakfast alone.

"Hey guys."

Phil stands next to his friends' table holding his tray. Owen lifts his head to scan the contents.

"Uh..you got anymore of those yummy donuts, dude?"

Much to his dismay, Phil shakes his head as he sits down next to Via.

"Hello, Phil," says Via.

He smiles at her as he takes a drink of juice.

"Where's Keely?" asks Via.

"I...actually don't know," Phil replies slowly as he scans the surrounding area looking puzzled.

"Perhaps she's in the video lab or the library," offers Via.

Owen whispers loudly, "Or maybe she got called into Hackett's office."

Via and Phil regard him doubtfully.

"That's rather unlikely," remarks Via returning her attention to Phil who's staring down at his plate.

"I'm sure she's just busy with something and she'll be along any minute," Via says encouragingly to Phil.

He nods mutely and continues staring at his untouched meal. He can't help but wonder if her recent unusual behavior has something to do with her absence.

"Hey there she is over there," says Owen pointing across the lunchroom.

Phil and Via turn around to see Keely sitting at a table near the wall with a blonde-haired guy.

"Who is that?" asks Via curiously wondering about the mystery man talking to her friend.

"I don't know, but sure looks like Keel knows him," chuckles Owen.

Phil stares at the two of them completely wrapped up in conversation with each other and paying no mind at all to the crowd of noisy students in the cafeteria. He's clearly confused for a number of reasons, but he does recognize the guy talking to his best friend as a fellow classmate from biology lab.

"Phil, do you know that guy?" asks Via eager to know who has preoccupied Keely's time.

"I think his name's Mason," he answers without taking his eyes off of Keely.

Via squints her eyes at the two of them as they both laugh uncontrollably. "Hmm."

"Somethin' must be funny," says Owen shoving a large piece of sandwich into his mouth.

As Phil watches Keely and Mason sitting face-to-face at a table tucked away into an intimate little corner undeniably enjoying each other's company, a very distinct emotion begins to creep into him.

He tries to shake off the ridiculous feeling, but he's powerless against the jealousy burning within him.

"Ah...those were good times, huh?"

Keely rests her hand on her stomach after having nearly burst into pieces from her laughter.

"Yes, they were," agrees Mason taking a sip of his water.

Keely sighs. "I can't believe how long ago elementary school seems."

"I know," he replies setting down his empty bottle. "High school seemed so far away back then."

"Yeah...we'll be graduating before we know it," says Keely leaning back into her chair.

Mason gazes at her with wonder. "A lot of things happen without us being really aware of them, don't they?"

Keely smiles and glances down at her hands clasped together in her lap. "Yeah," she says softly.

"You know..I'm really glad you came over here today but..why did you? I mean, we've known each other forever, but we've never really been close."

Looking back up to his blue eyes, Keely smiles mysteriously. "I guess it just seemed like the thing to do."

Mason nods. "I'll take that."

"It's nice to talk to someone who remembers the things I do," Keely admits.

Pushing his tray aside to rest his elbows on the table, Mason smiles warmly at her.

Keely finds herself unable to tear her gaze away from his face, and she's not sure why that is.

"I think I understand," says Mason dipping his chin slightly. "Your friends haven't been around here that long."

Keely breaks her trance and replies, "No, they haven't." She sighs. "It's hard to reminiscence about things that way."

"Well, you'll get to someday after you make new memories with them."

She shrugs. "I guess you're right."

They share a quiet moment of understanding before the shrill ringing of the bell signaling the end to lunchtime forces them up from their seats.

Keely gathers her things and says to Mason, "I enjoyed this."

He nods in agreement. "We should do it again sometime."

"Definitely." Keely turns to leave but Mason's voice draws her back.

"Keely."

She looks at him expectantly.

"Anytime you feel like reminiscencing..."

She smiles a silent thanks before walking away with pleasant thoughts of the blonde-hair, blue-eyed boy on her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Hey, Keel."

Phil stands at the end of her walkway with his hands in his pockets and a welcoming smile upon his face.

"Phil, what're you doing here?" she questions his unexpected visit.

He opts not to answer that as he flicks his gaze over her taking in her semi-dressy outfit and freshly applied makeup.

"Going out?"

Keely closes the front door and walks down the few steps leading off her porch.

"Yeah."

Phil tries to be cool. "Oh." He shrugs his shoulders. "Where?"

Keely comes to a halt a few feet in front of him. "The movies."

Phil nods and makes a concerted attempt at casual. "Alone?"

After a slight hesitation, Keely shakes her head and tugs on her purse strap. "No...I'm meeting someone there."

Fighting back the familiar sting of jealousy, Phil smiles politely despite his urge to roll his eyes.

"Mason?" he manages to ask without sounding too disturbed by the idea.

"Uh huh," Keely replies.

"You two have been hangin' out together a lot lately," Phil notes.

Keely doesn't comment on that statement.

Phil gradually walks backwards a few steps. "Well, I don't want to keep you from..." he trails off looking down at the cracked cement. "Yeah," he finishes softly.

Keely inwardly winces from the hurt in his voice as she asks, "Did you..was there a reason why you came by?"

Phil fixes his dark eyes on hers with the intention of honestly answering her question, but he just shakes his head.

"Nah..I was just..kickin' around."

Accepting his reply, Keely moves past him with a small wave of her hand. "Ok, I'll see you later then."

"Yeah..see ya."

Phil watches her walk down the sidewalk until she turns the corner and disappears from his sight.

A heaviness settles into his chest as he thinks of his best friend. He knows something is different with her, and he wants to talk to her about it but doesn't know where to begin. He's not even sure if she'd care. He does know for certain that whatever is going on with Keely it's affecting their friendship and that worries him.

Expelling a deep breath from his lungs, he hangs his head and knocks a pebble into the street with his shoe before dragging himself back home.

"Well, at least we got good seats."

Keely and Mason settle into the cushioned theater chairs eager to rest their legs after standing in line at the ticket counter for nearly twenty minutes and then again waiting several more minutes at the concession stand for their drinks and popcorn.

"Yeah, I didn't think it'd be so crowded on a weekday."

Mason sets the large tub of buttered popcorn in his lap. "I guess it's a good sign that the movie's not lame."

Keely nods and sucks on her straw. Mason cuts his eyes over at her trying to be subtle, but she notices his staring.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asks in horror.

Mason clears his throat at having been caught. "Um...no. I was just..."

Keely tilts her head and smiles. "Yes?"

He quickly holds up the bucket of popcorn. "Want some?"

Deciding not to put him on the spot any more than she'd already done, Keely politely grabs a few kernels before leaning comfortably back against her seat.

Mason mentally sighs in relieff and tries to relax as the lights dim overhead.

After a friendly hug goodbye at her front door, Keely readies herself for bed. However, before she can hit the lights, her phone rings. She hurries to pick it up on the first ring not wanting to awaken her mom.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Keely," says Via in a mysterious voice.

Keely rests against her pillows. "V..it's kinda late."

"I know. That's why I just had to call."

Rolling her eyes, Keely takes the bait. "Ok..just ask me already so I can get to sleep."

Via laughs. "You know me too well."

Keely waits impatiently for her to continue.

"Well..how was it?"

"I had a good time."

Via scoffs. "Could you be a bit more specific, please?"

Keely sighs. "We went to the movies, ate some popcorn, talked about random things, and said goodnight."

"_Said_ goodnight?"

Keely gasps. "Well I wasn't going to _kiss_ him, V."

"But did you want to? I'm sure he wouldn't have had any objections."

"We're just friends."

Via replies sarcastically, "Uh huh."

Keely closes her eyes. "I will tell you every last detail tomorrow, V. I promise."

After a beat, Via complies. "I'll hold you to that."

"Bye!" says Keely disconnecting the line before Via can get in another word.

She drops the phone back into its cradle and turns onto her side ready to shut down for the night, but a thought rudely denies her that luxury.

She wonders if Via had the right idea about her and Mason. As far as Keely's concerned, Mason is simply a refreshing addition to her life...a purely platonic addition. He _is _cute and has several positive qualities that a girl would love to have in a boyfriend, but Keely doesn't feel that way about him...yet anyway.

Choosing to put that thought off until more reasonable hours of the day, she finally closes her eyes.

But...another thought blocks her attempt to slip into slumber. The fact that Mason is so refreshing confuses her and leaves her with an uneasy feeling. She knows that recently she has felt different about her life...and the people in it. Actually, not people so much as one person in particular.

Time that is normally reserved for her best friend has been spent with someone else. And if hanging out with Mason is refreshing...what does that say about her friendship with Phil?

Thanks for the reviews! I've got a vague idea about where this is going...I do my story planning in that semi-conscious state right before sleep so who knows.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reading my story people! This one could go on for a while so I hope you all hang in there. Oh, and I hope you Pheely fans out there don't hate me after this chapter! Also, this isn't my usual writing style; I prefer vivid imagery, but for the purpose of this story I've had to go with a heavier emphasis on dialogue. I want to keep it as character-focused as possible and I think in-depth descriptions will only diminish that. Anyway...enjoy!

Chapter 5

"Sweetheart, are you going to lounge on the couch _all_ day?"

Keely's mom looks down at her wondering why her daughter is spending a beautiful Saturday in her pajamas flipping through the channels.

"Shouldn't you be at the Diffy house?" she asks with a smile.

Mentally cringing, Keely throws her hands up in the air. "Why does everyone keep saying that? I have my _own_ life, you know."

Her mom's smile fades at the sight of her daughter's apparent distress.

"Did I offend you, sweetheart?"

Keely leans her head back against the cushions blowing out a loud breath. "Forget it."

Perching on the arm of the sofa, Keely's mom asks with a puzzled look, "Who else said that?"

"Via..on the phone earlier." Keely rolls her eyes. "That's not the point."

Her mom regards her carefully. "Is there anything you'd like to discuss, Keely?"

For a moment she actually considers the offer, but she doesn't want to get into things her mom clearly won't even understand.

"No..I'm fine," she says clicking off the TV. "I'm gonna go upstairs."

Her mom watches helplessly as her daughter who is obviously bothered by something slowly walks up the stairway.

That night, Keely's sitting on her bed wearing headphones trying to drown out her own thoughts when her door cracks open.

"Keel?"

Keely catches the movement from the corner of her eye and shuts off her loud music.

"Mom?" she asks.

The door opens wider to reveal Phil on the other side.

"Not mom," he grins.

Keely removes her headphones. "Phil..I didn't know you were here."

He begins to enter her room, but he stops in his tracks and looks at her. "Mind if I..."

Keely stares at him silently for a beat curious as to why he asked permission to come in considering he's never done that until now. The fact that the question is so impersonally polite instills a twinge of sadness within her.

"Yeah..come in."

He gingerly seats himself in the chair at her desk. "Your mom said I could come on up."

Keely nods. "So..what's goin' on?"

"Not much really..I just wanted to..see you," he stumbles over his words.

The honesty in his voice and in his eyes only deepens her sadness..and guilt.

"It's been a while," he adds softly.

"I..know I haven't been around much," Keely says looking down at her lap.

Phil furrows his brow. "Why is that?"

Keely's head snaps back up. She wasn't expecting him to ask that.

"Well, I've been..busy."

Phil scoffs quietly. "Yeah. Busy."

She's a bit thrown by his response. "Are you mad at me or something?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"

Keely shrugs. "I'm not mad."

"Then why have you been avoiding me like the plague?"

She doesn't say it even though she knows the answer. For the last couple of weeks she's been sorting through all the new changes occurring in her, and she's realized a few unsettling things about her friendship with Phil.

"If something's wrong, Keel, you can tell me," he says to her with kind eyes which only makes her feel worse about the situation.

"I'm fine," she says unconvincingly.

"You're a terrible liar," Phil says lightly.

Keely slumps her shoulders knowing she's lost the battle. She was too tired to fight it anyway.

"Ok..lately I've been feeling..different."

Phil nods. He's assure of that much, but he anxiously wonders where this is going.

"I don't know how to explain it really..I'm just _different_." She watches for his reaction but receives none so she continues hoping the words will come to her.

"You and me have been friends, best friends, for a long time now, and I've had such a blast with you...but lately.."

Worry clouds Phil's features as he asks suddenly, "Do you want to be friends?"

Keely stares at him with an unreadable expression on her face. Several seconds tick off the clock as Phil's worry transforms into full-blown fear.

"I..."

Phil averts his eyes unable to look at her as his heart starts to crumble in his chest.

"I guess...I just need some space," she says quietly.

Phil manages to ask, "Does that mean 'no'?"

Keely refuses to look at him as he fearfully awaits her reply.

"I just..I need other things in my life."

"That's it? You need more things?" he scoffs. "Then by all means get yourself some more things, Keel. It's not like _I'm_ holding you back from that, am I?"

Keely closes her eyes for a moment in frustration at Phil's clear misunderstanding.

"No, Phil...I don't need _more_ things...I need _different_ things."

His blank expression forces her to further elaborate on her explanation.

"What I mean is maybe I need _less_ of the things I already have," she says slowly.

Finally comprehending her words, Phil finds himself compelled to look down at the floor away from her brutal honesty, though doing so does nothing to ease the enormous amount of pain he feels.

He says aloud to her trying to gather his thoughts, "We're not talking about _things_ here...are we?" He dares at glance at her before he continues. "Like some inanimate object or a hobby or an interest..." He looks down at the lines on the palm of his hand resting in his lap. "No, you're talking about people or to be more accurate...a _person_."

He looks up at her with heart-breaking sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm the thing you don't need."

The sight of him is too much for Keely and she's forced to look away as she feels her eyes begin to moisten with unshed tears. However, despite all the emotions running through her right now, she can't deny the truth.

"It's not necessarily that I don't need you, Phil," she whispers despondently. She never wanted to hurt him.

Phil replies, "But you just said--"

"I know," she sighs in frustration, "but what I meant to say was that..I don't think..we should spend time together..anymore."

Phil doesn't respond so she adds in a small voice, "I'm sorry."

Anger sparks within him at her weak apology.

"You're _sorry_? You've decided to write me out of your life and all you can say to me is that your sorry?" He scoffs. "Gee, thanks, Keely, but I don't want your sympathy."

She's immediately caught off-guard by his dripping sarcasm, but she doesn't want to turn the conversation into a bitter war of words.

"Phil--" she says gently before being quickly interrupted as he holds up his hand.

"Just..hold on." He stands up next to her desk. "I don't understand why you...is it something I did?"

Keely shakes her head. "You didn't _do_ anything."

Realization finally dawns on him as he glances up at the ceiling trying to collect himself.

"I think I get it," he says stepping closer to the door.

"You said you were tired of things. You were bored," he says recalling the words she spoke to him in this very room not too long ago.

"But what you really meant was...you're tired of _my_ things...and of me."

Keely lowers her eyes shamefully as he forces her to face the cold truth.

"Isn't that right? You say I didn't do anything to make you feel this way..so what you're really saying is that _who I am _is the problem here... aren't you?" he asks quietly even though he's already pretty sure of the answer.

"In a way..yes." she replies above a whisper as she raises her head to look at him.

All the blood drains from his face as her confirmation of his fears settles into every fiber of his being.

"So, I guess when all the cool, mysterious new wears off of the guy from the future...what's left isn't good enough for you," he states unemotionally.

Keely quickly counters him. "No, Phil, that's not true. I didn't even know about any of the future stuff when we first became friends, did I?"

"Then what is it, Keely?" Phil pleads with her.

"I..guess I want to be normal again."

Phil looks at her completely stunned. "Normal? _You_ want to be normal? _You!_"

Keely jumps off her bed. "Yes! Me! You think you got a claim on feeling weird?"

"Wha...?" Phil can't even form a thought.

"Don't you get it, Phil? You're life is so intriguing and _strange_..and while that was all good and fun once, now that I'm older..I don't--"

"Oh, well, I'm glad to have entertained you so much the last two years, Keely, but this is not some fun-filled fantasy game for you to play with!" He calms down some before continuing. "It's my life," he states with a heavy emphasis on each word. "The future is real and it's a part of me no matter what century I live in. It's my home."

Keely sighs. "Right, it is your home, and one day you're gonna pack up and leave for it without ever looking back."

She lowers her voice to finish, "And I'll still be here."

Phil raises his eyebrows. "So...?"

Keely rolls her eyes. "_Here_, Phil, in this very _normal_ existence."

"I don't get what you're saying," Phil admits in a tired voice.

Taking a deep breath, Keely tries again.

"What I'm saying is that when you're gone..I'm gonna be just regular Keely..not Phil's friend or the girl keeping his family's secret. And I really don't know who _regular_ me is..so I need to find out..and I need to start right now," she says honestly.

Phil drops his gaze to the floor letting her words sink in. For a long time, neither of them move or speak. Keely shifts her weight from one foot to the other and back again while Phil stands rigidly staring blankly at the patterns in her rug. The silence between them is almost deafening.

"I understand," says Phil after the long pause.

Keely lifts her head to see his face and all the seriousness it holds.

She replies quietly, "I just want my life to be something I can figure out, Phil. I want it to make sense."

Phil tries not to show how badly she's hurt his feelings as he speaks the truth for her.

"And that won't happen until I'm gone."

A bitter laugh escapes him as he thinks of his dad's long delay in fixing the time machine. "And since _that_ doesn't appear to be anytime soon..." he becomes more serious, "cutting me out of your life is the only way."

Keely runs her hands through her hair exhausted from...everything.

Phil slowly takes a few steps towards her. "I want you to be happy," he says sincerely.

As he looks at her, nothing but forgiving and understanding love shines in his eyes.

"And I'll give you whatever you need to make sure that you are."

An unfamiliar feeling tugs at Keely's heart upon hearing his words and seeing the way he's gazing at her right now. She can't seem to put a finger on it, but the feeling, whatever it is, threatens to grow stronger with each passing second.

Her heart pounds in her chest and her mind races while, for a fleeting moment, she regrets having this conversation with him. For a brief second, she wants to rewind the last couple of weeks to find herself modeling in front of the mirror with her best friend lying on the floor grinning up at her.

But her doubt is forgotten when Phil speaks to her again in a soft voice.

"Goodnight, Keely."

She watches him silently as his gaze lingers on her for an extra beat before he disappears through the door...and quite possibly out of her life.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter is devoted to the fact that I believe Phil is a total mama's boy :)

Chapter 6

"Knock, knock."

Phil glances up from his desk to see his mom's smiling face in the open doorway.

"May I enter the sanctuary?" she teases him.

He rolls his eyes in a loving manner as he gestures her inside with his hand.

"I don't want to interrupt.." she says looking at his open textbook.

Phil nods eagerly. "Please do." He tosses his pen onto the page and leans back in his chair stretching his arms over his head. "I've been looking for a good excuse for a break."

"What are you working on so diligently?" she asks sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Literature."

His mom's face lights up. "My favorite subject."

"Wanna finish up for me then?" Phil asks seriously.

His mom frowns. "What do you think?"

Phil sighs. "I think I'll be at this desk a while."

His mom smiles and looks around his room distractedly. Phil raises his eyebrow at her.

"I take it that's not what you came in here for."

She looks at her son with concern on her face. "I couldn't help but notice how much time you spend in here."

Phil shrugs. "I can't hang out in my own room?"

"Of course you can, honey," she says gently. "You just never seemed so fond of it before."

He regards her with a fair amount of suspicion. "Before what exactly?"

"Before a certain, very likeable, blonde-haired girl stopped visiting our home," she says bluntly.

"Mom..." Phil says obviously not wanting her to go there.

She responds as only a mother can, "Phil, clearly things between you and Keely have changed, otherwise, you two would be downstairs on the couch studying together and dirting up my clean dishes making your so-called 'brain food'."

Phil hangs his head as she pauses briefly before continuing. "Not to mention the fact that you've spent the last month willingly allowing your sister to torture you on the weekends that used to be strictly set aside for spending time with your best friend."

After a beat Phil asks dryly, "Anything else you'd like to add to that heart-warming narrative?"

"No one likes a smart aleck."

Turning to stare at the darkness outside his window, Phil slouches down in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest.

His mom tries again to get her son to open up to her about this. "Phil," she says as if speaking to a small child.

"If you don't want to talk I'll understand, but I really think you'll feel better if you get your troubles off your chest."

He casts a doubtful look at her. "I'm pretty sure anything short of having my best friend back is not going make me feel better, Mom."

"Oh, sweetie," she says compassionately upon hearing the pain in his voice. "What happened? Was it an argument?"

Phil scoffs. "I wish." He throws his hands in the air. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if Keely and I had _just_ an argument."

He adds in quiet despair, "She doesn't want to be friends anymore."

Disbelief crosses over his mom's face. "Oh, Phil, I'm sure it's not that drastic."

"You don't believe me?" he asks incredulously.

His mom shakes her head. "I bet you just misunderstood her, honey."

"No, I'm pretty sure she didn't leave any room for interpretation."

Phil sighs heavily and rubs at his tired eyes. His mom sits deep in thought for a moment as she becomes even more confused about her son's dilemma.

"But you two have been such great friends."

"Yeah, well apparently I'm not the most idealistic friend material," Phil responds dejectedly.

His mom waves him off. "You'd make a wonderful friend to anyone, Phil."

He shrugs. "Doesn't matter."

His mom cocks her head. "Did she give you a _reason_ for not wanting to be friends?"

Phil nods. "My being from the next century had a big hand in it."

Raising her eyebrow his mom replies, "But Keely's known you're from the future nearly the entire time we've been here."

"Yeah, well, I guess it took a while for the fact that I'm a total freak to sink in."

Pointing a finger at him, his mom says in a stern voice, "You are not a freak."

Glancing around his bedroom, Phil replies, "Maybe not a hundred years from now, but even you have to admit, Mom, that's exactly what we are in the 21st century."

"Nobody is a freak, ok? Are we clear on that?" she asks seriously.

Phil only gives her a weak nod of his head in the affirmative.

His mom rises to her feet and looks encouragingly down at her son.

"I have some advice if you'd like to hear it."

He raises his eyebrow. "Alright," he says slowly.

His mom clears her throat. "Phil, you and Keely both are growing up and changes are part of the deal whether you want to accept them or not."

Phil winces. "That's your advice? Get over it?"

"I wasn't finished," she says holding up a finger.

"Sorry," offers Phil.

"But I believe that once Keely's had some time to adjust to whatever changes she's going through that she'll realize her mistakes and will want to correct them."

Phil's almost positive that will never happen, but he really hopes his mom knows what she's talking about anyhow.

"And when she does come around, she's going to need her best friend."

After letting his brain process that for a few moments Phil replies carefully, "So..I should just wait for her..no matter how long it takes?"

His mom smiles warmly at him. "If you believe she's worth waiting for..then yes."

Phil ponders that for only a fraction of a second as a smile slowly spreads across his lips.

"She's definitely worth it."

Satisfied with her work here, his mom nods at his desk and says, "I'll let you get back to your studying."

As she steps out into the hallway, Phil calls out causing her to lean back around the door frame.

"Yes, honey?"

Phil smiles appreciatively at her. "Thanks."

She winks and disappears from his sight again.

Phil comfortably leans back into his chair feeling much, much better than he has in a long time as a hopeful light shines upon him. Perhaps his mom's right...once Keely works through things..she'll come to her senses and realize that he belongs in her life...right?


	7. Chapter 7

Wow, the reviews are so nice! Thanks everyone! I'm thrilled that you guys are enjoying the story!

And for rainismysunshine..I hope everything's cool.

Chapter 7

"Hello there Via. I'm glad we've happened to run into each other."

Owen leans up against a locker in what he thinks is an attractive pose, but Via has other descriptive words in mind. Grabbing her book for first period, she eyes him warily.

"This is not a coincidence, Owen," she explains. "Those things tend to be rare occurrences. You running into me is an everyday thing."

He winks at her completely missing her point. She rolls her eyes.

"So, can I help you then?"

He's oblivious to her clear disinterest in him as he wiggles his eyebrows at her.

"Why, yes..you certainly can."

Via rolls her eyes again and slams her locker shut before turning on her heel ready to make a hasty exit, but Owen taps her shoulder.

"What?" she asks rather annoyed by him as she turns back to face him.

Owen stares down the hall in the other direction with his mouth hanging open.

"Owen?" Via prods impatiently.

"Um..you'd know if Keely had a boyfriend, wouldn't you?"

Via's puzzled by the question, but nods her head anyway. "Of course."

Owen smirks at her and points down the hall.

"Oh..my.." she says not believing what she's witnessing.

Laughing at her expense, Owen bends down to her ear and says, "Then why're you as surprised as I am?"

"Hey, Owen, there you are. I thought you needed help with your homework," Phil says as he walks up to the pair.

Owen's blank look shows that he doesn't have a clue about what Phil's just said.

Phil raises his eyebrows. "You wanted to meet in the library before class," he explains very slowly.

"Riiight."

Phil shakes his head and catches Via in his peripheral vision standing like a statue.

"Um, hey Via."

She takes her time turning her attention towards him as Phil asks with concern, "Are you ok?"

"Uh huh," she replies numbly.

Phil nods and begins to walk down the hall in the direction of the very thing that has stunned Via into silence, but Owen quickly reacts.

"Dude!" he practically shouts causing Phil to jump slightly. He grabs Phil's upper arm and roughly pushes him the other direction.

"About that homework help..." he says as he forces Phil to walk along with him.

Via looks back down the hallway and briskly walks towards her friend who's currently holding hands with Mason while he leans in close to whisper into her ear words meant only for Keely.

"Ahem."

Keely and Mason turn their heads to the sound at the same time.

"Good morning you two," she says pleasantly while raising her eyebrow at Keely.

"Good morning, Via," replies Mason.

"Hey," says Keely.

Via looks at Mason. "Mind if I borrow her for a second?"

Glancing at Keely, he replies, "Um..I guess."

"I'll see you in class," Keely says with a smile.

Mason gazes at her until Via's convenient need to loudly clear her throat causes him to look away.

Smiling sweetly at him, Via replies, "Yes, see you later, Mason."

He takes the hint and lets go of Keely's hand and makes himself scarce.

"That was rather rude, V."

Via puts a hand on her hip. "Some people might consider not telling your friend that you have a boyfriend equally as rude."

Keely sighs. "Don't make a big deal."

"Excuse me, but it is a big deal."

Shaking her head Keely replies, "It's really not."

Via glares at her. "I can't believe you didn't tell me. _Owen_ even knew before I did."

Keely's confused by that last statement. "Huh?"

"Nevermind. Why didn't you say anything? Last I heard you two were _just_ friends."

Keely shrugs. "I don't know..it just sorta happened."

"Overnight?" Via asks in disbelief.

"No, not overnight..it's been a gradual process." She shrugs. "I'm not even sure if the process is complete."

Via raises her eyebrow. "Well do tell..what makes for completion, Keely?"

Rolling her eyes and refusing to waste any breath on that little comment, Keely walks by Via towards her class.

After managing not to fall asleep during another boring lecture, Keely eagerly exits the classroom. Focusing solely on escaping the torture and not on what's in front of her, Keely collides with Phil as she turns a corner. She drops her book while a few papers fly out of his folder.

Bending down without even noticing who he just smacked into, Phil gathers up the papers scattered about and mumbles, "Sorry about that."

Upon hearing his voice, Keely looks up surprised to see he's the person she'd ran into.

"Hey, Phil."

He ceases his motions and looks at her.

"Hey, Keely."

They stare at each other for a moment before simultaneously becoming aware of the very small distance between them.

Keely averts her eyes and quickly stands up as a very strange feeling overtakes her. Phil swiftly crams his papers back into his folder and rises to his feet.

"That was my fault."

"It was my fault."

They speak at the same time.

Keely laughs nervously. She's more than a tad _uncomfortable_ standing before him for more reasons than the obvious, and that bothers her more than she'd like.

Phil adjusts his bag on his shoulder and smiles more than a tad _happy_ to have Keely so near to him. They haven't spoken to or seen much of each other in several weeks.

Before either of them have to come up with something to say, Mason appears next to Keely.

For an awkward beat, nobody speaks or even moves. Eventually, Phil finds his way back to a conscious thought and politely addresses Mason.

"Hey."

Mason replies in much the same manner, "Hey."

Keely quickly glances between the two of them as they stare each other down. Mason casually places his arm around her waist. Keely can see Phil's jaw tighten in response to the gesture. Clearly, he's affected, but Keely's not sure why. Either that or she's just not ready to confront the most likely explanation.

However, she too is a bit bothered by the possessive demonstration as she can't help but think it's purely for Phil's viewing _dis_pleasure. She briefly wonders if Mason feels threatened by Phil, but she discards that thought. Why would Phil cause Mason any worry? It's not as if he'd have any reason to question her commitment to their relationship...right?

"Well, I gotta get to class," Phil says without looking at her again before he leaves.

Mason glances over his shoulder and narrows his eyes at Phil's back before smiling down at his girlfriend.

"Ready?"

Keely nods and smiles back despite her mind's uneasiness as she allows him to steer her to their next class.

At lunch, Owen's excitedly telling Phil yet another one of his tall tales from his previous school, but Phil's not giving him his undivided attention. Instead, he keeps sneaking glances at Keely where she sits with Via...and Mason. He doesn't particularly care for Keely's new boyfriend despite the fact that Mason seems to be a nice guy. In reality, Phil knows the reason behind his dislike, but he will not admit it.

"Dude..you are so not listening."

After a beat, Phil looks at Owen. "Did you say something?"

Owen shrugs and chugs down his soda finishing with a deep belch. Phil blinks slowly and looks back at the table across the lunchroom.

With a bored sigh, Owen asks, "When are you gonna do something about that?"

Phil raises his eyebrow. "What that?"

"Like you don't know," Owen scoffs.

Looking down at the table with renewed interest in his meal, Phil pretends not to have heard him.

"You gotta snap out of it, dude."

Phil shrugs. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Owen slams his fist down on the table causing some students sitting nearby to look at them strangely. Phil smiles nervously and pushes some food around on his tray with his fork trying to block out the curious faces.

"Heh," says Owen glancing at the others with a shrug before turning his attention back to Phil.

"I'm getting really sick of watching you mope around," he grits through his teeth in a low voice.

Phil scoffs sarcastically. "Thanks for that _buddy_."

"Ya know, you've been a real load ever since you stopped hangin' out with Keely."

"Correction," Phil says holding up a finger. "_She_ stopped hanging out with _me_." He turns the finger on himself. "I've got every right to be a load."

Owen rolls his eyes. "Dude, it's been like two months..get over it already!"

Phil stands up. "Do me a favor, Owen." Picking up his things, Phil glares at him.

"If my life makes you so sick, try getting one of your own to worry about" he says venomously before stomping off to dispose of his tray.

"Psha...can we say melodramatic?" Owen says to himself. With an indifferent shrug of his shoulders, he resumes eating his lunch as Phil exits the cafeteria without ever looking back at his friend or the girl on his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Summer vacation here we come!"

Keely jumps up and down absolutely thrilled to be exiting the double doors of H.G. Wells on the last day of the current school year.

"Yes..I can barely contain myself," says Via sardonically.

Keely's face drops. "V.." she whines.

Patting her friend's shoulder sympathetically, Via says, "I didn't mean to rain on your parade.." she shrugs, "But I don't share your enthusiasm."

"Don't _even_ tell me you're gonna miss this place."

Via grins. "Will you cry if I do?"

Keely scoffs. "No...but I _will _question your mental health."

"Well, you're not the one having to spend the majority of the summer with her crazy..er.._eccentric_ aunt in London."

Keely laughs as Via silently warns her not to go there.

"Yeah..that _is_ going to be a drag. I can't believe my only girlfriend is going to be thousands of miles away during what's supposed to be the happiest season of the year," Keely pouts.

Via gives her a sly smile. "Well..I'm sure you can find _other_ things to occupy your time."

She gestures with a tilt of her head. "This can still be the happiest of seasons."

Keely turns her head to see Mason stepping up to her with a wide smile on his face.

"So...that's that," he says expelling a breath of relief.

Turning to Via, Keely sneers, "See..some people actually appreciate getting out of here."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Mason pulls his girlfriend close to his side and looks down at her with a gleam in his blue eyes.

"Well, maybe some people lack a good enough reason for such appreciation," he says bending down to press a quick kiss to her cheek.

Looking into her eyes, he finishes softly, "Lucky for me..I'm not one of those people."

Via rolls her eyes. "You two disgust me," she jokes.

They all share a laugh and make their way off campus.

Meanwhile inside the school building, Phil tries to maneuver through the maze of excited students clearing out the contents of their lockers.

"Differ, wait up dude!" yells Owen over the noisy chatter.

Phil slows his pace, but keeps moving despite Owen's attempt to catch up with him.

"Hey," Owen greets slightly out of breath.

Phil acknowledges him with a jerk of his head. Even though he and Owen have reconciled their differences over the way in which Phil should handle his problem with a certain blonde, Phil still remains a tad defensive about the sensitive subject.

"Why so glum, dude?" Owen asks before quickly snapping his fingers at Phil. "Oh, that's right..you're _good _at this school thing."

Phil is confused. "What?"

"Ya know..smart kids usually aren't happy like us normal people on the last day of school."

Phil scrunches up his nose. "Uh..I'm not sure if I should be offended or not."

Owen shrugs. "So what're your big plans for the summer?"

Shaking his head Phil replies, "Don't have any."

"Not even an _awesome_ cross-country road trip with the fam in a rented station wagon?" Owen teases.

Phil chuckles. "I think my family's had enough of rented anythings."

Owen looks confused for a brief moment, but he shrugs it off. "So..no vacation for the Diffy's?"

Phil scoffs and mutters to himself, "We're _on_ vacation."

Realizing his slip, he quickly glances at Owen, but fortunately a random brunette has captured his attention. Phil sighs and leaves the poor girl to face Mr. Smooth all alone.

As Phil walks down the sidewalk leading away from the school, a guy wearing a black backwards cap stops in front of him.

He regards Phil carefully. "Hey..you're that Diffy kid, right?"

"Yeah," Phil replies slowly.

The guy nods. "I've heard some weird stuff about you, man."

Phil scoffs. "Ok..."

The guy grins. "We like weird."

Phil glances around, but he doesn't see anyone else.

"We?" he asks.

"Me and my buds." The guy holds out a neon-green sheet of paper. "We're throwin' a party this weekend and lookin' for some new recruits." He looks down at Phil. "You're a grade below me, right?"

Phil shrugs. "I don't know..just finished sophmore year."

The guy's eyes light up. "Cool, take a flyer then."

Phil complies as the guy sticks out his free hand. "I'm Jared."

"Phil."

Jared nods. "So I'll catch you Saturday then."

Phil hesitates for only a second. "Um..yeah, I'll be there."

Jared nods again and walks off leaving Phil staring down at the flyer.

"I can do a party," he says confidently to himself before continuing his journey home while thinking perhaps the summer won't be so bad after all.


	9. Chapter 9

I just want to say that I do not promote the drinking of alcoholic beverages at parties, but having said that, I'm well aware of how teenagers can and often do experiment. :)

As a reminder, this story is rated as not suitable for younger readers and the following chapters will reflect the reasons why so...there's your warning. Don't worry there won't be any gratuitous language or behaviors expressed by the characters, but Phil and Keely can't be so _good_ all of the time, right? At least not in fanfic anyway. Enjoy!

Chapter 9

"Well, well...look who's _not_ in his pajamas on a Saturday night."

Phil shoots a rude glance at his little sister. "Bite me."

"Hey, you two play nice," their mother warns as she sets the dinner table. She looks at Phil curiously. "No offense, honey, but why are you notin your pajamas?"

"I've got plans," he says proudly.

"Whoa..sound the alarm, Mom," Pim laughs.

"Not another word, Pim," her mom replies firmly.

Pim sighs and slides out of the chair. "Whatever," she mumbles walking out of the kitchen.

"It _is_ ok if I go out, isn't it?" Phil asks.

She answers in a cheerful voice, "Of course it is." She cocks her head to the side. "Where're you going anyway?"

"Um.." Phil says carefully, "to a..party?"

His mom chuckles. "Sounds like you're not too sure."

"You don't mind?" he asks cautiously.

"A party sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday night," she says placing his plate back into the cabinet.

Phil nods. "So, when should I be home?"

His mom thinks about that for a moment. "Oh..let's say..11:30."

Surprised at her answer, Phil asks, "That's not too late?"

She shakes her head and smiles. "I don't think so..it _is_ summer break afterall." She moves to him and pats him on the back with pride in her eyes. "And I am proud to say that my teenage son is responsible enough to handle a late curfew."

Wrapping her arm around his shoulders, she gives him a little squeeze. "You deserve it."

Phil smiles. "Thanks, Mom."

"Now get out of here," she says lightly.

Without any further hesitation, Phil bounds out of the kitchen.

The party is raging by the time Phil arrives. He steps up onto the large porch of the very large house. A couple of girls smile at him as they pass by. He feels a slight blush on his cheeks since he's not accustomed to receiving much attention from the opposite sex. But he finds himself enjoying it.

As soon as he enters the house, a voice calls out to him from somewhere nearby. He scans the rather large crowd packed into the living room area, but he doesn't see the source of the sound.

"Over here, man."

Phil turns his head in the direction of the staircase to find Jared leaning onto the railing motioning with his hand for Phil to come on up.

Weaving in and out between the bodies, Phil finally reaches his destination.

"Hey," he greets.

"What do ya think?" Jared asks gesturing to the room below them.

Phil nods. "Nice scene."

Jared puts his arm around a pretty brunette next to him who Phil recognizes from school.

"Come on, let's get you a drink," he says to Phil as he makes his way down the stairs with the girl in tow. Phil follows close behind.

They eventually end up outside on a spacious deck holding an even larger crowd than the one inside. Jared stops by the bar where a guy pours a dark liquid into several plastic cups. He grabs one and offers it to Phil.

"Here you go, man."

Phil looks down into the cup wondering about the exact nature of the contents inside.

Jared notices his hesitation and laughs. "Don't worry..it's harmless."

He grabs up another cup for himself and gulps down a large amount. "See?"

Lifting the cup to his face, Phil blinks as the distinct odor invades his nostrils. Jared and the brunette share a laugh.

"It's alcohol," Jared says with a smile.

Phil nods. "Yeah..I get that."

"Well..go on and drink it up, man. This stuff don't last all night."

Jared laughs again and slaps Phil on the back before walking away leaving the girl behind.

She smiles. "It's good."

Phil raises his eyebrow suspciously. "You sure about that?"

She laughs. "Really, it is. I didn't think I'd like it either, but it doesn't taste nearly as bad as it smells."

Deciding to trust her opinion despite her practically being a perfect stranger and, not to mention going against his better judgement, Phil slowly takes a sip.

"Well?"

He licks his lips and thinks for a moment before smiling at the girl. "It _is_ good."

She smiles back at him. "Hey..you wanna go someplace a little more quiet."

Unsure of the implications of her request, Phil furrows his brow nervously. The action's not lost on the girl as she chuckles softly.

"To talk?" she asks being more specific this time.

Phil relaxes and nods. "Sure."

She holds out her hand. "I'm Jamie."

"Phil," he says shaking her hand.

She winks at him with a sly smile on her lips. "Yeah, I know," she says mysteriously before turning to leave.

Phil's eyes widen in shock as he stares at her back. She looks over her shoulder at him and he shakes his head in an attempt to trigger his brain to start working again.

"You coming?"

He nods while glancing down at his drink before quickly tossing it into a large trash can nearby and allows Jamie to lead him by the hand to a place yet unknown to him.

Eventually, they manage to make their way through the densely populated area to a bench sitting in the middle of a perfectly landscaped flower garden in the backyard. The extremely loud hip-hop music blaring inside is not quite as ear-splitting here. Only a dull bass can be heard among the soft sounds of early summer.

Jamie sits on the bench and crosses her legs while Phil admires the space.

"Wow..." he says in awe. "I've never seen a place like this."

Seemingly unimpressed with the view herself, Jamie shrugs. "Yeah..that's Jared's mom for ya."

Phil looks down at her with curiosity written all over his face. "How do you know Jared anyway?" Quickly, Phil adds with a hint of worry in his voice, "He's not your boyfriend, is he?"

Jamie laughs hysterically at the notion while Phil watches her with a confused expression. After a couple of minutes, her laughter dies down and she pats the space beside her as an invitation for him to sit.

Lowering himself to the bench, Phil says, "Um..I'm guessin' that's a 'no'."

"That's a _big_ 'no'. Jared and I have been friends since diapers."

She tilts her head and smiles at him. "Besides, I'm not the kinda girl to go off to a moonlit garden with a cute guy when I have a boyfriend."

"I didn't mean to imply that you were the kind of girl to do that," Phil says honestly.

Jamie waves him off. Phil grins. "Not a moonlit garden _with_ a bubbling brook, anyway," he jokes pointing at the small man-made stream flowing over a bed of smooth round rocks.

Jamie chuckles. "Of course..never with a bubbling brook."

Suddenly, a loud crash followed by a few screams and a lot of laughter sounds from inside the house causing Phil to quickly turn his head in alarm. Jamie never even flinches.

"Uh.."

Jamie shakes her head. "It's nothing."

Phil looks at her skeptically. "Didn't sound like nothing."

"Trust me..that won't be the last time you hear something like that tonight," she says reassuringly.

"So..it's not serious?" Phil asks turning back around.

"Nope. A little broken glass for the housekeeper to sweep up, but that's all."

Phil scoffs. "Jared has a..housekeeper?"

"Yeah," Jamie replies rather boredly.

Phil shakes his head. "Do his parents know about this party?"

Jamie looks at him and furrows her brow. "Are you kidding or are you just that naive?"

"Um..I guess..the second one," Phil replies slowly.

"Oh," she says before clearing her throat. "Yes, his _mom_ knows. Jared's dad left them about ten years ago."

Phil nods mutely.

Jamie explains, "His mom's a surgeon, hence the grandeur, and since she's not around much..she tries to make up for that by basically letting Jared do whatever the hell he wants. Plus, she feels bad about his childhood being destroyed by the divorce so..."

"I see."

Phil looks out at the said grandeur. The display is incredibly beautiful and...romantic. Thinking about how this would be the perfect place to be with someone very special and realizing that the only very special person he knows is currently both uninterested and unavailable, Phil decides that the garden is not so appealing after all.

Jamie nudges his side with her elbow. "Heavy thoughts?"

"I guess," Phil says looking over at her.

"Those don't mix with parties too well."

Phil shrugs. "Well, I don't have much experience with parties. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to be."

Jamie smiles. "Be Phil." She winks. "That works for me."

A thought pops into his mind as he remembers something she said earlier tonight.

"You implied that you knew me before I introduced myself..how's that?" he asks curiously.

Clasping her hands together in her lap and bowing her head shyly, Jamie utters a groan.

"I was kinda hoping that wouldn't come up."

Phil tilts his head to the side. "Then why'd you bring it up in the first place?" he asks with a playful smirk on his lips.

Jamie sighs and stares out at the multi-colored petals swaying gently in the light, warm breeze.

"I have this..thing I do where I boldly blurt out my thoughts..." she glances at Phil and smiles. "And then later, I try to get my foot out of my mouth."

Phil chuckles.

"Yeah," Jamie sighs and dips her head down. "I've seen you around," she says finally answering his question.

"Around...hmph. That's vague," Phil says playfully.

Jamie shifts on the bench so that her upper body faces him. "Ok..I admit it. I've checked you out..several times."

A light flush rises from Phil's neck to settle into his cheeks. "Oh," he says meekly.

"Phil..your _blushing_," Jamie says trying to further embarrass him.

Stretching out his legs in front of him and slouching down on the bench, Phil decides to change the subject.

"So..um.." He desperately tries to find something to draw the attention away from himself.

"That's a cool looking rock," he says suddenly upon spying a rather average-looking rock lying in the lush grass.

"I should put it back with the rest of 'em."

He springs off of the bench, scoops up the rock, and tosses it into the shallow water, while Jamie unsuccessfully supresses another fit of laughter.

Phil watches her as she holds her stomach and looks at him with a wide smile.

"That was..I'm sorry..but that was priceless."

Phil shrugs sheepishly. "Yeah, I have this..thing I do..where I compulsively make myself look like a fool in front of beautiful girls."

Jamie chuckles softly and lowers her eyes to her lap as a comfortable silence settles over the garden until _another_ loud crash followed by even more screams and laughter sounds from inside the house.

Phil raises his head that direction and winces. Jamie rolls her eyes and stands up.

"Wanna place a wager?" she asks backing up the small hill leading up to the house.

Phil raises his eyebrow as he walks towards her. "A wager?"

Glancing up at the night sky in contemplation, Jamie replies, "I'm thinkin'.. an expensive vase."

Phil scoffs. "That must've been one huge vase. I'll go with a window."

"You're on," Jamie says as she grabs Phil by the hand pulling him up the hill in excitement.

Struggling to keep up with her pace, Phil asks in between breaths, "Wait..what're the stakes?"

Jamie glances over her shoulder without missing a beat.

"Depends on who wins," she says with a wink before turning her head away from him.

Phil smiles to himself and happily allows her to lead him along.

After surveying the scene, Jamie proudly turns to Phil who is shaking his head at the sight before them.

"Ready to pay up?" she asks cheerfully.

Phil scoffs. "Are you kidding? A broken vase didn't cause this mess."

"Technically, it did..since the broken vase trigged the chain of events that led to this mess."

Phil holds up his hands in surrender. "Alright, then I guess, _technically_ speaking, you win."

"Yay me," Jamie says with an amused grin.

Phil sighs. "What do I have to do?"

Jamie bites down on her lip and glances around the living room at the rowdy teenagers taking part in various activities. She spots a small group sitting on the floor around a large coffee table covered with small plastic cups holding a red substance.

"How do you feel about Jello?" she asks with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Phil raises his eyebrow. "Um..well it's...jiggly."

Jamie pats his back and laughs. "And oh-so-smooth sliding down your throat."

"You're gonna make me eat Jello?" Phil asks wondering what she's up to.

Jamie nods to the coffee table off to his side. "No...you're gonna _drink_ it."

After spending the remainder of the evening sitting on the floor around the large coffee table and emptying an unknown number of small plastic cups containing a rather tasty red substance, Phil and Jamie tiptoe quietly through his backyard until Jamie stumps her foot on a...

"Ow!"

Phil holds his finger to his lips. "Shh!"

"What is that?" Jamie asks staring down at an unrecognizable metal contraption lying in the grass.

Peering down at the object, Phil sees that the twisted pile of metal is one of his sister's failed 'projects' and he nudges it out of the way with his shoe.

"Don't ask," he replies. He anxiously searches the yard hoping that none of his family's more questionable belongings or that a certain hairy person are visible. Thankfully, the backyard is free of such things.

"Sorry about the noise, but I'm not used to sneaking into someone else's yard in the middle of the night," Jamie says in a quiet voice.

Phil frowns. "We're not sneaking."

"You're such a newbie," she replies rolling her eyes.

Phil continues to frown at her.

Jamie sighs. "What're you so worried about? You're just a tiny bit tipsy.._and_ you're still makin' curfew."

"Barely."

"Barely counts," Jamie says with a smile but it fades as she sees the worried look on Phil's face. "What's wrong?"

Phil scrunches up his nose. "I feel..."

"You're not gonna puke, are you?" Jamie asks quickly.

Phil sighs. "No, not that. I feel bad about all this."

Jamie lays a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you're home on time..you're meeting your parents' only expectation at your age."

Phil ignores her. "My mom extended my curfew because she believes I'm capable of handling the responsibility..and what do I do as soon as I gain a little freedom? I completely take advantage of it."

"So you haven't responsibly handled your freedom..at least you're handling your liquor," Jamie says stifling a laugh.

Phil gives her a look that says he's not finding any of this to be funny.

"What?" she asks innocently. "What can I say? I'm totally impressed."

"This is way out of my character," Phil says shaking his head.

"Ugh!" Jamie exclaims leaning her head back. "Phil..would you _please_ lighten up?" she asks setting her eyes back on his serious face. "You're 16..you're not supposed to have _character_. You're supposed to have _fun_."

Phil disregards that statement. "I should get inside."

"You do that."

"Hmph." Phil walks up to the back door to enter the house, but Jamie's voice stops him.

"Hey," she says softly. "I may think you're a total golden boy, but I still think you're pretty cool."

Phil offers her a weak smile. "Thanks."

"You wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"Uh..."

Jamie tosses him a bribe. "I'll buy you lunch to apologize for making you feel like a bad boy."

"Ha," Phil responds dryly.

"Please?" she asks batting her lashes at him.

Suddenly an image of a blonde girl trying to manipulate him into doing something in the exact same manner enters his mind. A slight pang of sadness passes through him, but he quickly pushes the feeling aside and focuses on the brunette in front of him.

"Alright," he concedes.

Jamie nods satisfied with herself. "Cool, I'll pick you up..one-ish?"

"Sure."

"Well get in there already, " she says motioning to the house. "Ya know..brush your teeth, jump into your footie PJs, and tuck yourself in," she teases.

Phil rolls his eyes. "Very funny."

Jamie laughs. "Bye, Phil. Don't be so hard on yourself, ok?"

"I'll try."

Jamie winks at him and cautiously retraces her steps through the dark yard to the back gate. Phil watches her until she disappears through it and then quietly slips inside the house.

"Ah!" he exclaims jumping back from the short figure standing behind the door.

"Who was that?" asks Pim as she advances upon him.

Phil scoffs. "None of your business." He raises his eyebrow at her. "What are you doing up so late?"

"What are you doing _home_ so late?" his sister replies never missing a beat.

Phil smirks. "This happens to be my curfew."

Pim narrows her eyes. "Ha..since when?"

"Since at least _one_ of mom and dad's kids earned it by being mature," he states smugly, "and not creeping around in the dark spying on people," he finishes in disgust.

"Oh, and being mature is creeping around in the dark trying to get inside the house without drawing attention to any.." Pim fans the air in front of her nose with a grimace, "pungent odors of a suspicious nature."

Phil brushes by her. "I'm going to bed," he says tiredly.

Pim spins around. "Why do you insist on giving me my ammunition?" She puts her hands on her hips. "You shouldmake a sister work for it."

Phil turns to her slowly. "You got nothing, zero proof of anything. I'm home on time and considering that Mom's not waiting up, she obviously has complete faith in me," he shrugs. "and that's all I gotta worry about."

Pim smirks. "How about respecting Mom's trust in her perfect son not to partake in adolescent whims, Mr. Maturity?"

Phil narrows his eyes at his sister. "You're just jealous of me...as usual."

"Oh, please, don't make me gag," Pim says dramatically.

"Goodnight, Pim," Phil says evenly before turning his back to her and walking away.

"Brother?" Pim says in a voice signaling she's not quite through with him yet.

"What?" Phil asks annoyed by her need to always have the last word as he turns to look at her.

Holding up the Wizrd displaying a timer that stopped on the very minute Phil walked into the door, Pim smirks. "_Complete_ faith, Phil?"

Phil shrugs refusing to let the brat beat him. "She's merely upholding her parental obligations."

After a beat, Pim replies dully, "Uh huh." She shoves the Wizrd at him as she walks past him.

"Goodnight, Phil," she says in sarcastic sweetness over her shoulder.

Phil blows out a heavy breath of air and hangs his head as guilt settles into the pit of his stomach making him feel ill..or it could be from his drink of choice this evening. To anyone else, his uncharacteristic actions tonight might appear to be harmless fun...but Phil knows without a doubt that his parents, especially his mother, woud be deeply disappointed in him.

With that troubling thought on his mind and a nagging conscience berating him for giving into temptations, Phil drags himself upstairs to his room while hoping that a good night's..or..at least half of a good night's sleep, will lead to a much better morning...

But that may prove to be too much to hope for.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks again for the reviews everyone!

Chapter 10

"Good morning, son."

Phil's dad smiles at him from his place at the table as he prepares to dig into his plate piled high with an assortment of breakfast foods.

The strong smell of freshly cooked eggs overwhelming sickens Phil as he fights down the bile rising in his throat.

His dad, clueless as ever, spoons a hearty helping into his mouth and gestures for Phil to sit beside him.

"I'm gonna pass on breakfast," Phil replies trying to keep his eyes off of the strip of bacon dangling over his dad's lip.

"Dear, you got some pork on your face," Phil's mom says stepping into the kitchen.

She looks at Phil closely. He glances down at himself sure that everything appears normal, but her scrutiny is starting to make him sweat.

"Good morning, mom," he says with a smile that efficiently covers his nervousness.

Thankfully, his mom smiles and begins cleaning the countertops.

"How was the party?" she asks with her back turned to him.

Phil casually replies, "Fine."

His mom turns around to face him as she sets some toast on the table which his dad eagerly attacks.

"You went to a party?" he asks looking up at Phil with a puzzled look on his face.

Phil's mom rolls her eyes and says lovingly to her husband, "I told you that, dear. Remember? You were in the garage tinkering with the time engine."

"I don't _tinker_," he sighs in frustration. "I was trying to cre--"

Phil quickly interrupts before another long, long highly involved account of how his dad is attempting to fix the time machine can begin.

"I'm gonna hit the shower."

His dad looks wounded for a brief moment before continuing to stuff his face. Phil's mom catches him by the arm as he tries to make his hasty escape.

"Are you feeling ok, honey?" She places the back of her hand to his forehead. "You're not coming down with some kind of 21st century bug, are you?"

Phil tips his head back as she leans in to closely examine his face.

"Um..no, Mom, I'm fine really," he says slowly walking backwards.

His mom asks again in a concerned voice, "You're sure?"

Phil gives her his best smile to put her worries to rest. "Positive."

"Ok then," his mom says as she returns to her tidying.

Mentally sighing in relief, Phil jogs up the stairs where he meets his sister at the top.

The siblings glare at each other for several seconds before Pim steps around him with a grunt of disgust. Phil ignores her and heads to the bathroom.

Later that day a knock sounds at the front door. Phil hurries to be the one to answer it, but Pim appears from out of nowhere and blocks his path.

"I'll get it," she calls out loud enough for the whole family to hear and casts an evil grin at her brother.

Before Phil can even try to stop her, she swings the door open to reveal Jamie on the other side.

"Well, hello," she says politely.

Phil nudges her out of the doorway. "Hey, ready to go?"

Jamie smiles. "You're not even gonna introduce me to your folks?"

Pim roughly shoves her brother aside before he can respond. "Why of course he is." She motions for Jamie to enter.

Phil glares at his sister, but Pim just smiles sweetly and turns back to Jamie. "Phil can be so rude sometimes," she apologizes. "We're trying to fix that, but he doesn't train easily."

Jamie smiles at Phil. "Well, as long as he's trying his best," she says playing along.

Pim nods. "I like this one."

Phil shoots her another glower and gently moves Jamie back through the open door.

"Come on."

As they head down the walkway, Pim calls out from the porch, "You two kids have fun now."

Phil mutters unintelligible words under his breath as Jamie laughs soflty and loosely hangs her arm over his shoulders.

"Poor guy," she says in mock-sympathy.

After Jamie upholds her promise to buy him lunch, she eventually manages to steer Phil to the mall to shop for some music. As they browse through the aisles, Keely and Mason walk through the doors.

"A music store?" Keely says unenthusiastically glancing at Mason. "I thought we were shopping."

Mason smiles. "This_ is _shopping."

"Maybe I'll sit this one out," she replies attempting to leave the store, but Mason grabs her hand and pulls her back to his side.

"I've been in every clothing and shoe store in the mall," he says as Keely stares at him with a blank face. He continues hoping she'll get the point this time. "I think you can survive at least ten minutes in a store that doesn't sell those two items."

Keely sighs. "Fine..I'll do it..for you."

Mason grins. "Thank you."

He pulls her to the classical section much to Keely's horror.

"You listen to classical music?" she asks in shock before a frown crosses her features. "How come I didn't know this?"

Mason chuckles as he flips through the cds. "It's a birthday gift for my grandfather."

"Oh."

Keely crosses her arms over her chest and looks around the store. She sees the sign for 'Rock/Pop' and taps Mason on the shoulder.

"I'm gonna..." she gestures with her eyes to the other end of the store.

Mason nods. "Ok..I might be a little while," he says looking down at the racks, "I wasn't expecting such a big selection."

Keely smiles. "Be back in a bit."

In the very section Keely's heading for, Jamie explains to Phil how rock music has lost its edge over the years. Phil nods in silent agreement for lack of anything to say about that particular subject.

"And..you don't care, do you?" she asks observing his blank expression.

Phil shakes his head. "I guess I'm just not as.._passionate_..about it."

"You're makin' fun of me."

He laughs at her and receives a light jab in the chest in response.

"Ouch," he says placing a hand over his heart pretending to be hurt.

As they laugh and joke around, Keely steps out around a large cardboard advertisement display to see them.

She freezes immediately and quickly decides to sneak back around the way she came, but she doesn't move fast enough as Jamie glances her direction causing Phil to look her way as well.

Their eyes lock and everything Phil had filed away in the back of his brain regarding Keely and the last few months comes rushing back to the front of his conscious mind.

Jamie cuts her eyes his way taking in his change in demeanor. She flicks her gaze back to Keely to see a similiar effect on her as well.

"Hi, Keely," she says politely breaking the awkward silence.

Keely blinks slowly and turns her attention to the brunette who has just addressed her.

"Hi, Jamie."

Phil has yet to take his eyes off of Keely. Jamie glances his way again before looking back to the object of his attention.

"So, what's up?" she asks casually.

Keely shakes her head. "Not much. You?"

Jamie shrugs. "We're just hangin' out, ya know."

The 'we' part of her reply strikes Keely in a strange way. She denies the emotion as anything remotely resembling the J-word, even though that's exactly the way she feels right now for some unknown reason.

She looks at Phil as the stinging sensation within her chest grows into a slight stabbing pain. Without understanding quite what's happening within herself, she narrows her eyes at him.

"Well..having fun?" she asks with just the smallest trace of anger in her voice.

Phil picks up on that trace immediately as the gears inside his mind spin out of control trying to process the implications of her anger.

"Uh..yeah," he answers slowly before suddenly feeling the urge to retaliate. "We're having a great time," he adds in a smug voice.

Keely's a bit hurt, but she refuses to let it show. Instead, she switches her shopping bags to her other hand and forcefully plasters on a smile.

"I should get back to Mason," she says adding an extra emphasis to her boyfriend's name.

It's not lost on Phil as he rolls his eyes. Upon seeing his reaction, Keely feels very satisfied with herself.

"See ya guys," she says quickly and leaves in the direction in which she came.

Jamie turns to Phil. "What's up?"

He raises his eyebrow. "With what?"

Jamie nods to the spot where Keely was just standing less than a minute ago.

"With _that_."

Phil ignores her and looks down at the cds.

"I know you two were like best friends..and I know that at the end of the term...you weren't so tight."

Phil scoffs. "Is that so?" he mutters.

Jamie replies defensively, "Yes, it is so. A person would have to be blind not to have noticed Phil and Keely not spending every single second of the school day together."

Phil simply ignores her again.

She tries a more sensitive approach. "What happened between you two?"

"It doesn't matter," Phil says dropping a random cd back into its place on the rack. "Let's get outta here."

Jamie watches him for a moment as he walks away as a hundred questions race through her head. Deciding to close the lid on the subject, she follows him out of the store.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Bye, Mom!"

Keely slumps down onto her bed and breathes a bored sigh at the prospect of another day home alone. Sometimes she secretly wishes her mom had the summers off too, but before she can pity herself, the phone rings.

"Hello?" she says quickly grabbing up the receiver.

"Hi, Keely."

She smiles happily. "Via!"

Via laughs. "Happy to hear from me much?"

"Of course," Keely says sincerely.

"How is your summer coming along?"

Keely shrugs to herself. "It's slow to get started, I guess."

Via ask in a concerned voice, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's cool."

"Yes, you sound very confident about that," Via replies sarcastically.

Keely sighs. "It's nothing."

A silent pause enters the conversation as Via waits for Keely to reconsider telling her the truth.

"Ok.." she gives in easily, "I've been kinda..something happened the other day that bothered me."

"Is it Mason?" Via asks cautiously.

Keely quickly replies, "No, no, no, Mason is great..as always."

"Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess incorrectly again?"

Keely sighs. "I saw..Phil a couple days ago."

She can almost hear Via's eyes roll on the other end of the line. "I know what you're thinking, V, but it's not like that."

"Like what?"

"I'm not jealous," Keely states as firmly as possible.

Via chuckles. "You wouldn't be in denial, would you? Because I don't recall ever insinuating that you are jealous."

Keely realizes her slip and mentally kicks herself.

"I take it you didn't see _just_ Phil," Via says in Keely's silence.

"No," Keely replies in a small voice.

Via sighs. "Who was she?"

"Do you know Jamie Wilson? She's a gorgeous brunette with a lot of friends and a really nice car and just so happens to be a Senior now."

Via scoffs. "Thank you for the description, Keely, but I don't know her. Though, I do believe I have heard that name before."

Keely replies in a bored voice, "Yeah, I'm sure you have. She's quite popular."

"And now she's spending time with Phil," Via states evenly.

"Apparently," Keely says with a frown on her face.

Via asks curiously, "Were they on a date?"

Shaking her head, Keely replies, "No..at least I don't think so." She furrows her brow. "I didn't even know he knew her."

"Well," Via begins carefully, "you and Phil aren't friends anymore." She hesitates before continuing. "There are bound to be things you won't know about him."

Keely is well aware of that, and Via speaking the truth aloud does nothing to improve her mood. But, isn't that what is supposed to happen when you remove a person from your life?

"Keely," Via says slowly. "I never have truly understood your reasons for not wanting to be friends with him. You said that things weren't working for you anymore, and while I accept that and support it, I still don't get it."

Via sighs. "And I don't see how that fits into what you're going through right now. I mean, if you've chosen to have nothing to do with Phil..then why are you feeling the way you do?"

Even though Via's question seems simple enough, Keely doesn't have an answer...at least not an answer that she will actually speak. Instead, as per usual when things begin to get complicated, she decides to steer the conversation elsewhere... away from a certain brown-eyed boy.

"So, how's _your_ summer?" she asks suddenly.

After a beat, Via sighs and begins to tell her friend much less meaningful things knowing that the distraction will alleviate her troubles for a while...but sooner or later, whatever Keely is avoiding will have to be properly addressed.

And unfortunately, for Keely, that time will come much sooner than expected.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Are you going out..again?"

Phil's mom is a little disappointed to see her son come downstairs wearing a fresh change of clothes.

"Yeah," Phil mumbles as he searches about the room for something. "Hey, have you seen my ja--"

His mom holds it out in front of him. Phil offers her a weak smile in return while pulling the jacket on.

"Another party?" his mom asks following him to the front door.

Phil shakes his head. "Nah, just meetin' some people."

His mom nods. "Where?"

"Around," Phil replies with a shrug as he opens the door.

"Phil," his mom says in a tone that stops him in his tracks.

He turns to look at her with a blank expression. "Is there a problem?"

His mom raises her eyebrows. "There's no problem, Phil, but I'd like to know more about your plans for the evening."

Phil rolls his eyes. Off his disrespectful gesture, his mom adds firmly, "Unless you'd like to stay home on this beautiful Saturday night."

"I'm sorry," Phil says slightly less than sincerely, but his mom doesn't appear to notice.

"You may go out tonight, but not until I get a straight answer from you about where you'll be and who you'll be with." She lowers her chin and gives him a stern look. "And without attitude, please."

Phil is left with no choice but to comply with his mother's request. "Jamie and I are meeting Jared and one of his friends for some pizza," he explains in a even voice.

"Thank you." His mom smiles. "Now, was that difficult?"

Phil can't help but smile back at her. "I'm sorry, Mom," he says with much more conviction this time.

She nods appreciatively. "Have fun."

Phil waves and hurries out the door to an idling car parked along the curb.

"About time," shouts Jamie through the open passenger side window.

Phil smirks as he jumps into the seat. "Miss me?"

She shoves the car into gear. "You wish."

With a squalling of tires, the silver Mustang speeds off into the night.

After cruising through some streets with her extremely loud rock music blaring, Jamie brings the car to a halt outside a small pizza joint with several teenagers loitering on the sidewalk nearby.

"Hey!" she yells out to a couple of guys standing near a mid-size black SUV.

She runs towards them as Phil follows at a much slower pace.

"What's up, guys?" Jamie asks as she slides up next to Nick, one of Jared's friends.

He winks at her. "Jamie."

Phil finally joins the group. Nick turns his head away to 'cough' over his shoulder. Jamie gives Phil an apologetic look, but he just lets it roll right off his back.

Oblivious to the tension between Nick and Phil, Jared slaps Phil on the back. "Let's go, man."

Phil raises his eyebrow. "Where're we going?"

Nick snickers and opens the passenger side door to the SUV. Phil ignores him and looks back at Jared.

"I thought we were having pizza." He looks up at the brightly lit sign overhead. "I mean, why else would we meet here?"

Nick chuckles as he gets into the vehicle, and Jared shoots him a look silently asking him to lay off before he turns back to Phil.

"Nick works here, man."

Phil waits for him to elaborate, but he doesn't seem too eager to share any more information.

"I should've told you," Jamie says stepping towards him. "We're..not having pizza," she adds slowly as she bites down on her lip.

Jared jogs over to the driver side door and jumps inside. "Come on, guys," he says loudly leaning forwards to look at Phil and Jamie through the open passenger side window.

Nick leans his arm on the door and flicks his gaze over Jamie. "Yeah, come on," he says in a low voice.

Phil looks to Jamie for some explanation. "What's going on?"

"We're going on a..little road trip," she says with a smile trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Phil furrows his brow. "Road trip? To where?"

Jamie sighs. "Just a little jump over the county line."

"Why?" Phil asks.

Jared revs the engine impatiently. "You guys are killin' me here."

Phil keeps his eyes on Jamie as she makes a rude gesture at Jared before turning back to him. "Jared's cousin lives there and he's having a party."

"A party," Phil says quietly.

Nick sighs loudly and looks at Jamie. "Can we ditch him?"

Jamie scoffs. "No, we are not ditching him." She turns back to Phil. "What's the big deal?"

"I can't go to a party," he replies.

Jamie chuckles. "Whatever, come on," she says reaching out to grab his hand, but Phil takes a step back.

"I can't go," he says seriously.

Nick snorts. "You hear that? He can't go."

"Why not?" Jamie asks.

Phil sighs. "I told my Mom I was going out for pizza, that's why."

Nick cracks up as Jared looks at Phil in disbelief. "You're playin' us, right man?"

Phil shakes his head and looks back to Jamie. "Sorry."

"How about this..I'll drive us in my car and we'll only stay long enough to make an appearance." She grins at Phil hopefully. "What'd ya say?"

After internally agonizing over the choice at hand for a few moments, Phil's face lights up as a smile replaces his uncertain frown.

"Well...I guess I could make..an appearance," he says with a sly smile and a shrug. "Who's to ever know whether I'm here or there anyway?"

Jamie smiles. "No one will ever suspect a thing," she says as she grabs Phil's hand.

She yells to Jared, "We'll follow!"

As she excitedly pulls him back down the sidewalk to her car, Phil buries his conscience deep in the back of his mind while trying to convince himself that one little lie couldn't hurt anybody...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"What are you doing for the Fourth?"

Keely and Mason are sitting on her bedroom floor while she flips through a magazine and he browses through one of her many picture albums.

"My family's having their annual cookout," he says glancing up at her. "Want to come?"

Keely smiles. "You're inviting me to a family event? Wow...that's so.."

"It's just a cookout, Keely."

She shakes her head. "But it's the principle behind it that matters."

Mason raises his eyebrow. "Free food?"

Tossing a small pillow at him and narrowly missing his head, Keely sticks her tongue out.

"That's very mature," Mason says playfully. "I'm ashamed to take you now."

"Ha," Keely replies dryly.

Mason laughs and stretches out onto his back stuffing the _fuzzy pink heart pillow _she threw at him behind his head.

A sharp pang stabs Keely in her chest in the vicinity of her rapidly beating heart as she stares at her boyfriend while her mind conjures up another face from her memory.

Mason catches her watching him so intently. "Keely?" he asks carefully.

She shakes her head to clear the image and tries to focus on him. "Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

She smiles. "Uh huh. I just..spaced for a sec."

Mason picks up the album and flips through the pages as Keely looks back down at her magazine thinking about her strange experience just moments ago. But before she can question it, Mason calls her name.

"What is it?" she asks as he holds up the album and points to a particular picture.

"This is cute," he says wiggling his eyebrows.

Keely rolls her eyes. "I forgot those were in there." She leans over him and snatches the album from his hands. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have let you look at it."

Mason laughs. "Ah, come on."

Keely tucks the album under her bed and tosses another one at him where it lands on his chest. "I know there aren't any naked baby pics in _that_ one."

Mason smiles at her and opens the smaller album to the first page to find a picture of his girlfriend and..Phil. They are grinning at the camera with their arms around each other's shoulders. They both look very happy.

Mason feels a bit jealous despite the fact that he knows Keely and Phil used to be best friends. He shouldn't be jealous of that, but he's also aware of the fact that some seemingly _more than friendly _feelings linger..at least on Phil's part.

And he has wondered a few times if perhaps the same could be said for Keely.

"What are you staring at?" she asks breaking his trance.

"Nothing," he replies quickly. "I spaced," he says with a smirk.

Keely raises her eyebrow at him but resumes her reading without any comment.

Mason gives the picture one more hard look before he closes the album and sits up. Keely glances up at him to find him looking at her with a serious face.

"Is something wrong?" she asks with a hint of concern in her voice.

Mason decides not to bring up the subject..right now. "I told my dad I'd help him clean out the attic this afternoon so I should probably get going," he says to her dishonestly.

He stands up and looks down at her as he tries not to feel guilty about his lie.

"Ok, that's fine," Keely says rising to her feet. "I hate to see you leave so early, but if you gotta go..that's cool."

Mason kisses her cheek still avoiding direct eye contact. "I'll see you later."

She watches him quickly make his way to her door. "Am I calling tonight or are you?"

He turns back to her and smiles. "Me." He opens the door. "Talk to you then," he says before disappearing from her sight.

Keely furrows her brow in confusion at his sudden departure, but she tells herself that everything's fine..he just had to go do something..what's confusing about that?

She shrugs off her concerns and bends down to pick up the items on her floor. When she reaches for the photo album, she hesitates as something compels her to look inside the small yellow book dotted with tiny orange flowers. She flips open the cover to reveal the picture behind it.

A twinge of sadness pricks at her heart as her eyes rest upon the face of the brown-eyed boy showing off his patented 1000-watt smile standing close to her with his arm warmly encircling her shoulders.

Suddenly, an revelation strikes her as she firmly closes the album.

"Mason."

She sighs and dumps her belongings onto her bed. The little photo album somehow manages to land with its cover open. Keely stares down at the smiling faces in disbelief.

"Huh..now that's just..freaky."

Her gaze lingers on the picture for a beat before she closes the album once again. She pushes it aside and sits on her bed.

She wonders if her boyfriend's sudden need to leave had more to do with that picture than actually needing to get home. She wonders why it would have any effect on him at all. Of course, this isn't unprecedented...Mason did have a certain attitude towards Phil the day she literally ran into him at school...

But her mind strays from Mason...and soon she finds herself wondering about the boy in the picture.

She hasn't thought about him much between now and her trans-altlantic phone call with Via, and she distinctly recalls her state of mind during that conversation. She was obviously jealous to have seen Phil with Jamie. But why? Was it because Phil had made a new friend? Or was it something else?

She shuts her eyes in an attempt to block the onslaught of thoughts and emotions. She begins to feel dizzy as they all swirl together into an indiscernible mess, but suddenly, one single thought drowns out the others somehow making them seem much less important.

Thinking about how odd it is for that particular thought to enter her mind, Keely tries to push it aside...but, instead, it completely overwhelms her entire being. She shakes her head as...

the realization of the _biggest mistake _of her life barrels into her with an indescribable force.

For a moment, she's too stunned to breathe...

"Oh no...what have I done?"


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks again for reading and reviewing! I already have nearly every chapter written so this story should be wrapped up soon. I got about a dozen different story ideas buzzing around in my head, and I'm having some trouble concentrating on one at a time so I apologize in advance if this story falls short of anyone's expectations. I hate that!

Chapter 14

"Yeah, dude..I totally fell and smacked my knee on the gutter."

Phil laughs despite the pained expression on his friend's face as he recalls his accident while bowling.

Owen pats his still tender knee. "It's not so funny, dude."

Clearing his throat, Phil sags against the brick fence upon which Owen sits. "Sorry," he says stifling another chuckle.

"Yeah, you go ahead and have your laugh, but you should've seen the chick that offered me some impromptu medical attention..." He whistles. "Smokin'."

Phil rolls his eyes and looks out at the park holding up his hand to shield his face from the blazing sun.

"So..your mom said you went for pizza."

Phil nods mutely.

Owen smirks, "You didn't go out for pizza, did ya?"

Phil casually replies, "Change of plans."

"That you didn't inform your parents of."

He shrugs innocently. "It's not my fault my ride decided to go someplace else."

Owen sighs. "Phil..dude." He looks at him with a serious face. "I've been known to tell a little fib or two in my day, but Phil Diffy doesn't lie to anyone," he says holding up his finger, "_especially_ to his parents."

Phil scoffs. "I didn't lie...I told them I was going out for pizza and I did."

"Yeaah...but you never actually had any pizza," Owen points out.

Nodding his argeement, Phil says, "That's true." He grins. "_But_...I _was_ there."

Owen shakes his head. "I don't know, dude...still kinda sounds like a lie to me."

Phil frowns and lowers his eyes to the sandy dirt beneath his feet. He knows that Owen, of all people, has a good point. He also knows that he should've either walked home that night or at least called his parents to let them know where he'd really be. Or maybe he should even go as far as to tell them the truth after the fact.

But that would only get him into trouble, and then he'd lose their trust and not be able to do anything at all.

Most importantly...Owen's right. Phil Diffy doesn't lie...but lately...that's exactly what he's done.

"So..where did you go if not for pizza?" Owen asks curiously.

Phil sighs. "Party."

"Oh, dude...how come you're gettin' to have all the fun, huh?" he asks in envy. "You gotta get me into one of these parties, dude," he pleads.

Phil nods. "There's one coming up..I'll ask Jared."

Owen leans his head back. "Awesome!" He looks back down at Phil. "Dude, I will do whatever it takes to go." He snaps his fingers. "I'll run errands!" He thinks for a moment. "Yeaah..I could pitch in some time, ya know, do a supply run maybe." He looks down at Phil with a grin. "Volunteering for some menial labor..I'd be a shoo-in."

"If you say so," Phil replies flatly.

Owen glances up at the hazy sky with a dreamy look on his face. "Dude...I bet party chicks are awesome."

Phil shrugs. "I don't know, Owen. You're getting girls with impressive, and also useful, first-aid skills. Do you really need a party girl?"

Owen laughs but then replies in a deadly serious tone, "Yes."

Phil just shakes his head.

"Since we're on the subject of girls..are you and Jamie datin' or somethin'?"

Phil glances up at him. "Nah."

Owen is surprised. "Really? 'Cause you two spend a lot of quality time together to not be datin'..if you catch my drift."

Phil lifts himself up to sit on the fence. "Hmph."

"She's hot, dude."

He nods. "Yeah, I guess," he says looking down at his lap.

Owen claps his hands together. "So what's the problem?"

Looking out at the green expanse before them, Phil wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Jamie's not really..." He winces. "How can I put this?" He turns to Owen. "She's not--"

"Keely?" Owen offers with a wide grin.

Phil almost falls off the edge of the fence. "Wha..." He shakes his head. "That's not what I was going to say."

Owen nods. "Oh."

Phil glares at him and he shrugs apologetically. "Sorry, dude."

But Phil's not really upset; instead, he's curious. "Why would you bring her up like that?"

Owen looks up at the cloudless sky. "Oh, I don't know..." He looks back to Phil. "Maybe 'cause you love her?"

Ignoring the nagging voice inside his head screaming the truth at him, Phil shakes his head. "I don't love..."

But just the thought of her name in the same sentence as the words is too much for him to deny any longer. He hangs his head and breathes out a heavy sigh of defeat.

"I do," he says quietly.

Owen raises his fists in victory. "I knew it! Yeah!"

Phil cuts his eyes over at him with a less enthusiastic expression. Owen clears his throat. "I mean..dude," he says flatly.

"She's my best fr--," Phil sighs. "She _was_ my best friend. Of course I love her," he says as he drops down to the ground.

"Uh, dude, that's not really the kind of love I was talking ab--"

"It's hot," Phil interrupts as he uses his shirt sleeve to wipe away the moisture on his face.

Owen pushes himself off the fence as well. "I know," he says rubbing his back side. "I think those bricks burned me."

Phil rolls his eyes and laughs. "I'll see you later."

"Hey, Differ!" Owen shouts as Phil's walking away.

He turns back to look at him expectantly.

Owen shrugs. "You gonna tell her?"

Phil lowers his eyes to the grass. He can't tell her. If he could, he'd already done so. Besides, she doesn't even want to be his friend...she definitely wouldn't want to hear something like that.

"What's the point?" he asks throwing his hands up in the air at the futility of it all.

Owen doesn't respond.

Phil stuffs his hands into his pockets and walks away.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Keely, is there a reason why you're wearing a groove in the carpet?"

Keely stops her pacing outside her mom's home office and peeks her head around the door at her mom sitting at the computer.

"You're busy," she says with a wave of her hand.

Her mom promptly clicks off the screen and turns her full attention to her daughter.

"And now I'm not," she says in a perky voice and smiles at Keely gesturing her inside.

Keely gingerly sits on the edge of the large desk. "Can we talk?"

Her mom chuckles. "You never have to ask that, sweetheart."

Keely takes a deep breath but doesn't say anything; instead, she rolls a pencil between her fingers.

"Whenever you're ready," her mom says in a nurturing voice as she folds her hands together on her desk waiting patiently for her daughter to begin.

Keely returns the pencil to its holder and turns her upper body towards her mom. "Ok," she says straightening her spine. "Here's the deal." She takes another deep breath.

"You know how I told you about me not wanting to be friends with a certain somebody anymore because of some certain somethings that I couldn't and still can't really explain to you because those certain somethings are personal and you said that you understood and that an explanation wasn't necessary 'cause--"

Her mom holds up a hand to stop her. "Keely.." her mom says kindly, "take one more breath, sweetheart."

Keely lowers her eyes. "Sorry."

"Maybe you could start again." She smiles. "Once more with _breathing_."

With another deep breath, Keely continues more slowly this time.

"You know that Phil and I haven't been friends for some time now," she says pausing to see if her mom is following her so far.

"Yes," her mom replies with a nod of her head, "I am aware of that."

Keely nods. "Well...ever since I told him to..basically get out of my life...I've been having...second thoughts."

"I see," her mom says. "How do you feel about that?"

Keely sighs. "I feel horrible." She throws her hands in the air. "I can't take something like that back! I wouldn't even know where to begin!"

She looks at her mom in despair. "I was so sure that my feelings about him and my life and the future and all the things I wanted and the things I needed...had changed."

She scoffs. "I'm so _stupid_ I don't even know my own self."

Her mom says sympathetically, "Oh, Keely." She leans forward to gently lay her hand on her daughter's knee. "I can see that you're very upset about this, but you shouldn't beat yourself up like that."

Keely hangs her head. Her mom pats her knee tenderly and breathes out a short puff of air.

"Keely," she says drawing her daughter's attention back to her.

"You are 16, sweetheart, and you are going to continue to go through many more changes. Somedays you feel one way and the next day you feel another way." She shrugs. "That's just how this crazy life works," she says with a smile, "especially for teenagers."

She winks. "And even more especially for teenage girls."

Though Keely understands what her mom is trying to say, she's not ready to buy it just yet.

Her mom continues in her silence. "Why don't you just talk to Phil? I'm sure he'll understand."

Keely eyes widen in shock. "Are you kidding? He's not going to understand!"

Her mom is confused. "But you told me that he understood your reasons for not wanting to be friends anymore."

"I know, I know. He did understand _that_, but he won't understand me just up and changing my mind...again!"

She sighs. "How do you tell someone 'I'm sorry' after throwing their friendship out like yesterday's garbage?"

Her mom sits back in her chair. "Well, if Phil cares about you, which I'm sure he does, then you won't have to worry about apologies, sweetheart." She adds softly, "He won't need one."

Keely lets that sink in. Could her mom be right? Would Phil immediately forgive her? Does he care that much? She wants to believe it's all true but her doubts remain strong.

"But I..hurt him, Mom. I _really_ hurt him."

Her mom rises from her chair and moves around the desk to put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Talk to him, Keely," she says gently. "Talk to him."

Keely nods. "I'll...consider it," she says dropping her eyes to the floor.

Her mom softly chuckles and pulls her daughter close to her as she plants a kiss to the top of her head.

"Don't worry, sweetheart." She stoops to meet Keely's eyes. "Things will work out."

Keely replies quietly, "I hope so."

Her mom sighs. "I don't feel like I've helped you much."

Keely shakes her head. "No, Mom, you've been great." She smiles to reassure her.

"Well, if you say so."

Sliding off the desk, Keely gives her mom a warm, appreciative hug.

"Thanks."

Her mom nods. "Anytime, kid."

Keely walks to the door and gives her mom a little wave before heading upstairs to her bedroom to do some serious thinking.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"Ugh! Come on, Via, where are you?"

Keely clicks off the computer screen and jogs downstairs where her mom is just about to leave for work.

"Mom? I'm gonna go to the mall today if that's ok."

Her mom smiles. "Sure, that's fine, sweetheart." She curiously regards her daughter for a moment. "Keely..I'm not trying to pry, but..how are you doing?"

Keely raises her eyebrow. "Uh..why do you ask?"

"Well, our conversation the other night was..rather emotional for you," she says carefully. "Have you by any chance ta--"

"No," Keely says realizing where her mom is going with this. She shakes her head. "I haven't done anything yet."

Though concerned, her mom decides to trust that her daughter can and will handle her problem eventually.

"Ok then," she says forcing on a smile. "I'll see you tonight."

Keely nods and waves goodbye as her mom exits the house. She sighs heavily and leans her back against the door as her thoughts drift to...

"Not going there right now," she whispers to herself before running upstairs to get dressed for a stress-free day of shopping.

Or at least that was the plan...

Keely leisurely strolls through the mall content to be alone among so many wonderful stores. She's happy to just indulge in some mindless activity and escape her troubles.

She's heading to the food court for a some kind of guilty pleasure when a tall figure steps out into her path from a nearby store.

"Owen," she says surprised to see him.

He smiles down at her. "Hey, Keel, lookin' good."

She resists the urge to roll her eyes at his predictable comment. "How are you?" she asks politely, though, feeling a bit awkward talking to him since they haven't had much interaction since...well...what else?

"I'm doin' excellent. How about you?"

Keely nods. "Fine." She looks down at his large load of shopping bags. "Wow, Owen..I didn't know you were such a shop-a-holic."

He shakes his head. "No, no, no." He holds up the bags. "These are not for me."

"Oh." Keely eyes them curiously. "Who're they for then?"

"Jared."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "Jared? You're shopping for Jared?" She scoffs. "You know him?"

"Actually these are for his party..not him personally."

Keely nods. "A party, huh? What're you like the supply guy?" she jokes.

Owen answers in a serious voice, "Yeah."

Keely shrugs.

"Hey..you should come." He frowns. "I guess I can invite people," he says looking up in thought.

"I don't think so," Keely says shaking her head.

"Why not? I hear Jared's parties are off the hook."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "You hear? You mean you've never been to one?"

"Nope," Owen shrugs. "But Phil's told me some stuff." He frowns. "Speaking of...he was supposed to be helpin' out with this," he says looking down at the bags.

Keely's eyes widen in shock. "Phil? As in Diffy?"

He laughs. "Yeah..do you know another one?"

"I just didn't know..Phil _did_ parties." She looks down at the shiny tile floor.

"Yeah, he's been to a few since he started hangin' out with Jared and Jamie."

"Oh," Keely says slighty irritated by the mention of a certain brunette's name. "So..when is this party?" she asks suddenly becoming more interested in the idea.

Owen thinks for a moment. "Well, it was gonna be on the Fourth, but Jared's out of town so it's been bumped to next Friday."

She smiles. "I think I'll check it out."

He asks in an excited voice, "Really?"

"Yeah," she says with a firm nod of her head.

"Awesome," Owen says happily, but then his face drops. "Um...Keely..this is just somethin' I'm throwin' out here but..." He winces as he looks at her. "Would you be bringin' Mason with you?"

Keely is confused about the reason behind that question and it shows on her face. "Um.."

Owen quickly adds, "Cause it's cool..I just.."

"What?" she asks impatiently.

"Well...Phil's gonna be there," he says as if she should know exactly what that means.

Keely stares at him blankly. "So?"

Owen swallows uncomfortably. "So..Phil gets..really..weird.. when he sees you two together."

Keely scoffs. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's jealous of your boyfriend, Keely," Owen says in an even voice. "You know, 'cause he loves you and all," he adds in an obvious tone.

Her mouth drops open as she stands there in shock.

"Um..you didn't know that?"

"Phil lov--" She cuts herself off not ready to go there yet. "Phil's jealous?"

Owen nods. "Yeah..I kinda already said that."

Laughing nervously, she shakes her head at the ridiculous notion. "Please..that's not true."

Owen replies seriously, "Right..except that it is."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "Did he explicitly tell you this or have you drawn your own conclusion?"

Owen is slightly offended. "Well, if it makes you feel better, this didn't come from me."

"Wait a minute..why are you even telling me this? Shouldn't this be something to keep between you and Phil?"

He shrugs. "I don't care if you know."

Keely furrows her brow. "But.._Phil_ might care."

Owen grins. "Oh well." He wiggles his eyebrows at her. "I think what's more important here is...do _you_ care?"

She scoffs. "Why would I care if Phil is jealous of my boyfriend?"

Owen raises his eyebrows and slowly replies, "Um...'cause..he..loves..you?"

Her eyes widen as she repeats him. "Phil's jealous of my boyfriend...because he...loves me," she says slowly.

Owen laughs. "Once again...yes."

"Owen..." she says in a serious tone, "what does that mean?"

He smirks. "What do you think?"

Keely thinks on that for a moment. She definitely knows what she thinks it means, but she also thinks that can't be the real reason why Phil would be jealous. The jealousy thing makes sense given that she _did_ notice his unusual behavior, which could possibly be considered as perhaps resembling jealousy, during his and Mason's little confrontation that one day at school...

And he _was_ acting strange at the mall with Jamie...but surely she's misread his motivations. He's probably jealous of the time her and Mason spend together...time that previously belonged to him. Right? He can't be jealous because he...

Owen clears his throat effectively interrupting her thoughts. "Well, I gotta get outta here." He winks. "Good day, Keely."

He hurries off with a satisfied grin on his face leaving Keely staring off into space completely unaware of the busy shoppers having to walk around her.

After standing in the same position for several minutes and having forgotten her plans for the day, Keely very slowly walks out of the mall with one more thing to add to her confusion.

However, despite that confusion...a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Hello?"

Keely wipes the sleep from her eyes and sits against her headboard holding the phone to her ear.

"Hi, Keely. I'm sorry if I awoke you," Via says on the other end of the line.

Keely frowns at the clock that reads 7 a.m. but she sighs in relief to finally hear from her friend. "Via..thank goodness you finally called."

She laughs. "I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner, but I was out of town visiting some other relatives."

"It's ok," Keely says unconvincingly.

Via replies in a concerned voice, "So..what's happened now?"

"I need to talk to you about what we talked about before," Keely says quickly.

"You mean Phil."

Keely sighs. "Yeah, that's it."

"Did something else happen?"

Keely scoffs. "A big something." She stresses that a second time. "A _majorly_ _big_ something."

Via replies in her silence, "Well..what?"

"I'm gonna tell Phil that I've changed my mind," Keely blurts out. Via doesn't respond immediately and worry passes over Keely's face. "V? You still there?"

Via replies evenly, "I'm here."

"Well?" Keely asks a bit impatiently.

Via sighs. "I think that's wonderful, Keely."

She frowns. "Are you being facetious?"

"Yes and no."

"Huh?"

Via sighs again. "While I've always thought you and Phil becoming friends again is a great idea _in theory_...I'm not so sure if you should try to mend things."

Keely scoffs. "Why not?"

Via explains, "Well..there's this nightmarish scenario: you apologize to him, he spits it back in your face, you get your heart broken, he gets to feel good about himself for it, and the both of you never speak to each other again."

Keely chuckles thinking Via's joking with her. "Like that would happen, V."

"I hope not but the possibility is there. We don't always react the way we intend to in emotionally stressful situations," she says rationally.

Keely's face drops. "I don't think Phil would be so...heartless..like that." She shakes her head. "That's not him."

"The worst is even inside the best, Keely."

She considers that briefly before tossing the notion aside. "But I have to at least give it a shot, V." She thinks back to something her mom told her earlier regarding this very topic. "I mean, what if he totally understands and doesn't even need an apology 'cause it won't matter."

"Um..not to be cynical, Keely," Via begins carefully, "but that sounds way too fairytale-ish."

A part of her has to agree...what was her mom thinking anyway?

She sighs. "So, your advice is to forget about the whole thing?"

Via replies softly, "Are you absolutely positive it's what you want, Keely, because, frankly, if you're not, then telling him wouldn't be fair."

Keely worries her bottom lip. "I think I am.."

"If you're thinking, then you're not," Via says simply.

Her words are very logical and Keely can't help but lean towards believing them.

"I guess," she says though a rather large part of her still doesn't think it's true.

Via replies, "You can't very well make up with him and then later decide to kick him to the curb again, can you?"

Keely shakes her head sadly. "No, I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be right."

"So, why don't you give it a while? Let you head try to figure out things before you take any action," Via offers.

Keely nods. "Ok."

"You're going to be just fine, Keely," Via tries to reassure her.

Keely pretends to be just that. "I know, V. Thanks."

"It's what I'm here for," Via replies lightly.

Deciding _not_ to bring up a certain fact that Owen recently revealed to her, Keely ends talk of everything Phil-related.

After hanging up the phone a few more minutes later, she slips on her headphones and stretches out on her bed. She closes her eyes and lets the music carry her away as her thoughts are temporarily laid to rest.

Later that morning at the Diffy residence, Phil sets his plate on the counter near the sink.

"Thanks for breakfast, Mom," he says quickly before hurrying to leave.

"Wait, Phil, don't forget I'm cooking a special holiday dinner tonight," his mom says from her seat at the table.

He freezes. "Tonight?" he asks.

His mom nods. "Uh huh." She lowers her chin. "Did you make plans?"

Pim drops her fork and quickly interjects, "Hey! He can't miss the snore-fest if I can't!"

Her mom gives her a silent warning. She shrugs sheepishly. "I mean he shouldn't miss what's sure to be a heavenly, delicious dinner with our wonderful family," she says sweetly.

Her mom rolls her eyes and turns back to her son. "What were you going to do?"

"I was gonna meet Jamie at the park for the show."

His dad looks up from his plate. "You talking about that sorry excuse for a fireworks display?"

Phil sighs. "I know the pyrotechnics are slightly out-dated but--"

"Oh, Father," Pim interrupts. "You know our little Phil here isn't _really_ going for the light show."

Phil rolls his eyes at her, but she happily leans back in her chair.

"What else would you be going for?" his mom asks curiously.

Phil looks at his family sitting at the table watching him expectantly. He scoffs. "Of course I'm going for the fireworks." He narrows his eyes at his sister. "_Pim_."

She rolls her eyes. His dad shrugs and resumes eating. His mom smiles.

"Well, it _is_ tradition to celebrate our nation's birthday with them." She nods to Phil. "You go ahead and have fun."

He feels a twinge of guilt gnawing at his gut. "You sure, Mom?"

"Of course I'm sure."

He accepts that. "Thanks."

She waves him off and takes a sip of her coffee. Pim raises her eyebrow at him, but he ignores her and jogs upstairs.

As he enters his room, his cell rings.

"Yeah."

A female voice scoffs. "Good morning to you too."

Phil smirks. "Sorry, Jamie." He tries again. "Hello and good morning, this is Phil, how may I help you today?"

"That's more like it," Jamie says in delight.

"What's going on?" Phil asks tucking the phone between his ear and shoulder as he digs through a drawer of t-shirts.

"Just makin' sure we got all our ducks in a row for tonight."

Phil closes the drawer and stands up straight. "I'm supposed to bring a duck?" he asks dryly.

"Phil, you are _so_ funny!" she says sarcastically.

Phil grabs a pair of jeans off his bed. "9 o'clock, right?"

"Yes."

"At the east gate?"

"Yes."

"Ducks in row then."

Jamie laughs. "See ya later."

"Bye."

He tosses the phone onto the bed and heads to the bathroom trying not to be feel so guilty about ditching his mom's special dinner for another night with Jamie.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Mason's here."

Her mom peeks into the bedroom with a smile at her daughter standing in front of her mirror making a final check of her appearance.

"I'll be there in like two seconds."

Her mom smiles. "Are you nervous, sweetheart?"

Keely nods. "A little." She eyes her reflection. "I just want to make a good impression." She turns to her mom. "I'm meeting his _whole_ family."

"I'm sure they'll all adore you as much as he does." She grins. "Well, maybe not _as_ much."

Keely laughs as her mom closes her door.

As Keely enters the living room downstairs, Mason's eyes light up at the sight of her. She's dressed casually, but she still is very beautiful.

He grins in appreciation of the extra care she's taken to get ready for this evening.

"Ready for some of the best barbecue you'll ever eat?" he asks looping his arm with hers.

Keely sighs dramatically. "Yes, I'm _starving_."

Mason looks at her mom. "Would you like to join us? My parents would be happy to have you."

She shakes her head while smiling politely. "Oh no, dear, I'm gonna plant myself on this couch, prop my feet up, and enjoy 'The 50 Greatest Patriotic Songs'." She nods. "But thank you for the invitation, dear, and please tell your parents hello for me."

"He will," Keely says pulling her boyfriend out the door. "Bye, Mom," she says quickly before closing the door behind them.

Later that night, the two find themselves occupying a quiet corner of the large backyard away from the dwindling party. Keely sits on the grass between Mason's legs leaning up against his chest as they watch the rest of the guests slowly make their departures.

"Your family's great. So hospitable...and your mom's an _awesome_ cook."

Mason chuckles softly. "Keely...you hardly touched your food."

"Oh."

He leans close to her ear. "Not a big fan of barbecue after all?" he teases.

She smiles meekly. "I guess I just prefer mine a _tad_ less spicy."

"It's ok." Mason shrugs. "Honestly..I'm not in love with it either."

Keely laughs. "But, hey, the fireworks were cool, though."

He nods. "Yeah, never a dull show since my dad and uncle always try to see who can buy the biggest and the best."

Keely jokes, "Well, what's a holiday celebration without a little family rivalry?"

Mason winces. "At least they didn't set the roof on fire like last year."

"Hmm.." she says thoughtfully, "that explains the ladder and hose."

He laughs. "Come on," he says nudging her forward. "I better get you home."

Keely rolls her eyes as she stands up. "Yeah, if we leave now I can still catch the top 5."

Mason grabs her hand. "Well, in that case, let's burn some rubber."

After spending some time with her mom huddled together on the couch singing the national anthem while proudly saluting the American flag on the tv screen, her mom decides to hit the sack, but Keely heads outside to the front steps to watch a neighbor's personal little fireworks display.

The sky lights up a dazzling mix of red and blue in a rather impressive show for an amateur.

"Wow," she says to herself in awe of the sight.

"You took the word right out of my mouth."

Keely looks to the end of the walkway to see Phil standing in front of her with the beginnings of a smile upon his lips.

She can't help but smile herself in spite of her uneasiness. "Hi."

Phil stuffs his hands in his pockets and glances up as another brilliant explosion of color blankets the sky.

Suddenly overcome with an unexplainable need to be near him, Keely asks softly, "Do you wanna sit down?"

He looks back at her with a slight shrug of his shoulders since he wasn't expecting that. "Ok."

He slowly makes his way over to her and gently lowers himself down onto the step careful to put an appropriate amount of space between them.

"Were you at the park tonight?" he asks casually making conversation.

Keely shakes her head. "I was at a cookout," she replies making note to not mention anything of her boyfriend. "Did you see it?"

Phil nods. "Yeah, I just came from there."

"How was it?"

He looks at her for a moment as memories of the past summer's holiday celebration flood his mind. "Not as good as last year," he says honestly.

Keely frowns. "I figured it would've gotten better..not worse."

"Maybe it was the company I kept that made the difference," he boldly admits as the words come rushing out of his mouth before he can stop them.

Surprise registers on her face, and she tries to hide the thrill in her eyes by turning her head.

Another explosion of color draws their attention back to the sky.

"Not too shabby, eh?"

Keely flicks her eyes his direction, but quickly looks back up. "Yeah, pretty impressive."

A loud boom sounds and a double-ringed green and pink burst of light appears high in the sky.

"Ooh," Keely says excitedly. "My favorite."

Phil smiles thinking back to exactly a year ago today and how equally as excited Keely reacted to a similar display.

"I remember," he whispers.

They gaze at each other for a long quiet moment as the fireworks continue to shine overhead.

Phil is the first to look away as he tilts his head skywards and softly clears his throat. "I guess that was the grand finale."

Keely blinks slowly at the dark sky. "Yeah."

A low grumbling noise sounds in the quiet. Phil glances at Keely and raises his eyebrow as she lowers her head shyly and places her hand on her empty stomach.

"Did they feed you at this cookout?" he teases lightly.

She shrugs. "Heh..the food wasn't really what I'm used to."

Phil nods and digs into his pocket. "Here," he says producing three small square pieces of candy. "It's not much, but..."

"Starburst," Keely says with a smile as she looks up at him. "You still won't touch the lemon ones, huh?"

Dropping the candy into her palm, his face contorts in disgust. "Ugh..no way."

Keely chuckles. "Thanks."

Phil rises to his feet and looks down at her with a smile. "Well, thank _you_ for the step."

"You're welcome," Keely replies warmly despite feeling a pang of sadness to see him go.

He hesitates. He wants to say something else to her.

Keely can sense it too as she tries to remain cool under his intense gaze.

"Phil?" she says just barely above a whisper.

Looking down at her, he suddenly notices how incredibly beautiful she is right now...and how she's always been. His gaze drops from her eyes to her lips as he's overcome with an overwhelming desire to _kiss_ her...

Keely's heart beats more quickly as he stares at her mouth. A thousand thoughts race through her mind, but she can hear only one. Does she want him to do what she thinks he's going to do? Fighting down the urge to shout out a 'yes' to that quesiton, Keely nervously licks her lips and breathes in deep more than ready to accept...

"I gotta go," Phil says suddenly as he backs up a few steps.

The perfect moment is shattered and lost forever. Keely lowers her eyes in disappointment and embarrassment.

Phil mumbles, "Goodnight." And he hurries off down the street to his house.

Lowering her head in shame for wanting it to happen considering how she just spent the evening with her very loving and caring boyfriend...Keely sighs and goes inside to ponder this new development.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Either you've got a hangover...or your dog just died."

Phil sits on the front steps of his house in the early morning sunlight with disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes, and dark circles under his eyes. He lifts his head just enough to see Jamie standing a few feet away from him with an amused look on her face.

"I don't have a dog," he answers dryly.

Jamie puts her hands on her hips as her mouth drops open. "You partied without me!"

Phil blinks slowly.

She throws her hands up in the air. "I'm kidding." She sighs at his lack of response and moves to join him on the step. "So, it's a girl then."

Phil cuts his eyes over at her. "What makes you say that?" he asks slowly.

"I'm right!" she replies in mock excitement.

"Yeah," he says with a yawn before turning to her with a lazy grin. "And you get a cookie."

She tilts her head curiously. "I'd rather have an explanation."

Phil shakes his head. "I don't think you'd understand."

"You had an encounter with Keely last night," Jamie states in a slightly bored tone.

"Ok.." Phil says slowly. "Maybe you do understand," he says to himself before looking back at her. "Exactly how is that?"

She rolls her eyes. "Please..I saw the way you reacted to her that day at the mall."

She grins. "And all the times I was checkin' you out at school last year..I couldn't help but notice the way you were _always_ gazing at her with this distant, lost-in-the-clouds look in your eyes." She laughs. "You are _way_ obvious, Phil."

He scrunches up his nose. "Huh."

She sighs. "Don't get off track. What happened last night?"

Phil just stares at her.

"I thought I asked a question..I mean my lips were moving and--"

Holding up a hand to silence her, Phil says, "Alright..I get it."

Jamie smiles satisfied with herself and folds her hands together patiently awaiting him to continue.

Phil glances up at the sky and takes a deep breath before looking back at her.

"Wow..this must be really good," Jamie teases.

He glares at her and she pretends to zip her lips shut.

"I was on my way home, and I saw her sitting outside her house watching some fireworks down the street."

Jamie nods. Phil regards her for a beat before continuing. "I wasn't going to say anything to her since..well, I pretty much figured I was the last person she'd want to talk to--"

"But she did want to talk," Jamie interrupts.

"Am I telling this or are you?" Phil asks in annoyance.

"Sorry."

He runs a hand over his messy hair. "Anyway..she invited me to sit with her of all things. I was expecting her to roll her eyes or toss her hair over her shoulder and go inside...but she geniunely seemed interested..and almost kind of..happy.. to talk to me."

He shakes his head at that thought. "So, we just sat there and made small talk and everything was so different between us..yet..it was comfortable." He smiles to himself. "Like it used to be."

Jamie smiles. "You really miss her, don't you?"

Phil answers quietly, "Yeah. I do."

"So..then what happened?" Jamie asks unable to hide her eagerness to hear the rest of the story.

Phil frowns. "Then things became not-so-comfortable."

"You started fighting," she says sympathetically.

"No," he replies through a wince. "We didn't fight."

Jamie holds out her hands. "Then what? You...started makin' out like bunnies? What?"

He raises his eyebrow at her particular choice of words and answers, "No."

Jamie's mouth drops open. "You kissed her!"

"_No_...but I wanted to," he says as a smile spreads across his face. "And I _think_...she wanted me to kiss her too."

"NUH UH!"

Phil shrugs sheepishly with a silly grin on his face. "Uh huh."

She smacks his arm. "Why didn't you do it, ya loser!"

"Hey," Phil says hurtfully as he rubs the spot where she punched him.

Jamie wraps both hands around his arms and shakes him. "Do you realize what you've done?"

He raises his eyebrow. "I..."

Jamie sighs and throws her hands in the air. "You might as well have just said, 'Wow, good thing I don't have the stones to kiss you, Keely, 'cause, _boy_, that would've been a _huge_ _mistake_!'," she says poorly imitating Phil's voice.

He shakes his head. "But I-I didn't say that!"

"But you _did_ give her that very impression, Phil!" Jamie rolls her eyes. "You don't look at a girl with 'I'm gonna kiss you eyes' and then run off." She scoffs. "What the hell, Phil?"

"What? I didn't know that," he says defensively. "I didn't know that," he repeats slightly raising his voice.

Jamie shakes her head. "Oh, Phil."

He leans his head back and groans. "Did I really screw things up so badly?"

Jamie pats his leg. "Yeah, ya did." Off his terrified look, she adds. "But you can still fix it."

He scoffs. "How?"

"Tell her you were gonna kiss her but you chickened out and ask her if you can try again."

"Right. That'll fix it," he says sarcastically.

Jamie narrows her eyes at him. "Well, then what's _your_ surefire plan?"

"I do nothing."

She scoffs. "I don't think so."

"Excuse me?"

"Phil," Jamie says seriously, "you gotta tell her.._something_."

He shakes his head. "She has a boyfriend."

"So?"

He raises his eyebrows. "So...I can't do anything about anything."

Jamie chuckles. "Well, then what made you think you could do something last night? Keely had a boyfriend then too, didn't she?"

Phil realizes she has a point. Is that what kept him from going through with it? Was he respecting Keely's relationship? He shakes his head at himself. That would be a more dignified cop-out but, in reality, he just didn't have the courage.

"I couldn't do it, Jamie," he says dejectedly. "I admit it..I was too scared to. Keely doesn't even want me as a friend. If I'd done something as stupid as to kiss her, she'd either laughed in my face or decked me."

Jamie furrows her brow. "But you said you thought she wanted it as much as you did."

Phil nods. "Yeah, I _thought _so...but I'm sure I just misread her cues."

"Now you're making excuses," Jamie says with a bored sigh, "and they're _pathetic_ excuses."

Phil shrugs. "So what? Maybe for a fraction of a second she wanted the same thing I did..it still doesn't matter."

"How do ya figure?"

Phil sighs in frustration. "_Because_...she has a boyfriend." He looks down between his legs at the ground. "And she doesn't like me."

"Maybe you're right," Jamie offers. "Maybe she doesn't like you." She grins. "Maybe...she _loves_ you."

The word echoes in his head as his heart beats in a hopeful rhythm. He can't deny that something was expressed in her eyes last night..something he's never seen before. Could it have been love?

"You're not so quick to dismiss that crazy notion..." Jamie says with a sly smile. "That's gotta count for somethin'."

Phil glances over at her and can't help but smile back. "Yeah, I guess it does."

After a beat, Jamie straightens her back. "Well," she says proudly. "I think I've tortured you long enough for one day."

Phil laughs softly. "I appreciate it though."

She nods. "So, you're gonna do somethin' about this Keely thing, right?"

"I will."

Jamie pats his head as she stands up. "Drop me a line before you do." She steps out onto the walkway and turns back to him. "Ya know, for support and approval."

Phil rolls his eyes. "You got it."

"See ya later, Phil."

He watches her until she disappears from his sight. He hears an engine ignite and a familiar squalling of tires fade into the distance.

Feeling better about his situation, he breathes out a puff of air and heads inside the house.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Want a bite?"

Keely holds out a chewy homemade brownie topped with pecans to Mason where he sits on her bed with his back against her headboard and his legs stretched out.

His eyes light up as he snatches the treat from her hand and greedily shoves it into his mouth.

"Um..I asked if you wanted _a_ bite," Keely says holding up one finger to emphasize her point. "One bite."

He swallows his mouthful and licks a crumb off his bottom lip. "Mmm."

Keely frowns. "That was the last one, too."

"I'm sorry," he offers with his best puppy-dog look.

She knocks his legs away with her hand. "Scoot over."

They sit side-by-side in a comfortable silence for several seconds before Keely erupts into a fit of giggles. Mason cuts his eyes over at her with a very worried expression.

"Keely?"

She abruptly ceases her laughter and bites down on her lip to hold it in. "I'm fine," she says without looking at him.

Mason leans towards her the slightest bit to study her face more closely. "You normally burst into spontaneous laughter?"

She smiles shyly. "I was just thinking about..us."

He raises his eyebrow. "We're funny?"

"We kind of are."

He waits for her to explain. She turns her head to look at him with a smile. "We've been dating for a good amount of time now." His expression remains blank. "And I thought how it's...unusual for a couple our age to not..."

She trails off and furrows her brow trying to find the right words. Mason shrugs. "To not what?"

"We don't...our relationship isn't very...physical." She glances at him to gauge his reaction. He simply raises one eyebrow.

"Well?" Keely asks slightly irritated at his lack of response.

Mason clears his throat and leans his head back in thought. "Hmm."

Keely shakes her head. "Nevermind, I just thought it was kinda funny." She adds seriously, "Not in a ha-ha funny way."

Mason smiles and faces her. "I think I know what you mean."

Keely nods.

"And I agree with you..we're not very physical."

She quickly says, "Not that _that_ is what's important in a relationship or anything."

"Right."

She frowns again. "But...I mean...a _little_..interaction..wouldn't be uncalled for, would it?"

Mason replies, "We..interact."

Keely sighs boredly. "We kiss, most of which have been mere pecks, and _occasionally_ hug...and sometimes you _actually_ hold my hand."

"That's interaction."

She narrows her eyes at him. "Yeah..for middle-schoolers."

Mason chuckles. "Not _this_ ex-middle-schooler."

Raising her eyebrow, Keely asks curiously, "Really? No little girlfriends?"

He shakes his head. "Not a single one."

"You never even played spin-the-bottle?"

"Never."

Keely laughs but quickly offers a weak apology for it.

Mason smirks. "So, Keely Teslow, how many times have _you_ played that game?"

She shakes her head firmly. "I'll never tell."

Refusing to accept that, Mason suddenly attacks her in the ribs with an evil gleam in his eyes. Keely tries to defend herself against his merciless tickling, but she's too weak from laughter to fight him off. After a few minutes, she does finally manage to hold up her hands and plead her surrender.

They shake on it and Mason returns to his side of the bed. As their heavy breathing begins to return to normal, Mason turns to look at her.

"How's that for interaction?"

Keely chuckles and smoothes out the front of her shirt. As Mason watches her, she feels his eyes upon her and glances his way.

"What?" she asks with a smile.

He slowly leans forward and cups her cheek in his hand. As he draws her near, he teases softly, "Let's see if we can do better."

He presses his lips to hers gently at first, but then slightly opens his mouth to capture her bottom lip. Keely leans further into him and returns the kiss.

He pulls back just enough to dip his head and press a feather-light kiss to her neck. Keely's eyes flutter open as she giggles quietly. Mason lifts his head to look up at her through his lashes.

"You're not going to start that again, are you?" he jokes.

Keely lowers her eyes to his face with every intention of throwing a witty comment at him, but...

The words stick in her throat as she instantly freezes. An oppressive numbness settles into her body while a sharp panging in her chest leaves her almost breathless.

Her mind races at the speed of light trying to grasp the situation, but she's obviously not capable of any logical thought because _logically_ she shouldn't be thinking what she is right now.

The room is eerily silent...the only sounds heard are shallow breathing and heavy pounding.

"What's wrong?" Mason asks in a soft voice filled with deep concern.

She's heard the words, but she can't comprehend them. Everything but the sight in her mind's eye drowns out completely.

As she stares down into crystal blue eyes...the only thing she can think of... is how their azure should be a warm chocolate...and how that honey-blonde hair should be a rich brown.

"Keely..are you ok?"

She blinks very slowly as the world comes crashing back into her like an ocean wave.

"I'm fi-fine."

She gently pushes him away from her and swings her legs over the side of the bed to rest her feet on the floor. She runs a shaky hand through her hair and breathes out a long, deep breath.

Mason asks carefully from his place on the bed, "Did I do something?"

Briefly closing her eyes, Keely draws in some air and turns her body to face him.

"No, it's not you."

He waits for her to continue.

She sighs heavily knowing what she must do and how that's going to hurt him. She really doesn't want to hurt him, but she can't lie to him...and she can't lie to herself.

"Mason..."

"I think I know where this is going," he says as he slowly stands up next to her bed.

Keely furrows her brow, but doesn't say anything. Mason looks down at her with compassion in his face.

"You don't love me, Keely," he says with the trace of a sad smile on his lips.

Lowering her eyes from his gaze, Keely nods her head slightly. "No, I don't think I do," she says quietly.

Mason rubs the back of his neck and sighs. "I've figured as much for a while now."

Keely glances back up at him with a puzzled look. "You have?"

He nods. "Yes, I have." He walks around the foot of the bed to join her where she sits on the other side.

"I've had these nagging suspicions in the back of my mind."

Keely winces. "I'm sorry," she says sincerely.

Mason shakes his head. "You shouldn't be sorry for what you feel." He smirks. "Or don't feel."

She smiles in spite of her sadness. "I never meant to hurt you."

He nods. "I know you didn't. These things happen." He looks down at his lap and shrugs. "Honestly," he says meeting her eyes again, "I'm not in love with you either."

Keely laughs. "Really?" she asks in a playfull tone.

Mason rolls his eyes. "Wow...we're quite a pair, aren't we?"

"Yeah."

"Probably should've just stayed friends."

"Probably."

He smiles. "I really did and still do _like_ you, though. And you're very attractive."

Keely laughs again. "I feel the same way about you."

He replies sarcastically, "You'd think that'd be everything we'd need."

"You would think."

Mason glances up at the ceiling in deep thought. "Hmm...perhaps we've just be handed proof that we know absolutely nothing about relationships."

"Well, love's a complicated thing," Keely says light-heartedly.

"Think we'll ever get it?" Mason asks hopefully.

She ponders that for a moment as the image of a very particular boy enters her mind. She smiles to herself.

"We just might," she says confidently.

Mason breathes a sigh of relief. "Well, that was...easy."

Keely nods in agreement. "Yep, a mutual, understanding, non-heartbreaking end to a relationship...definitely a first for me."

"I haven't been ruined, have I? I mean, I don't really believe my future break-ups will be this way."

She frowns. "No, I'm afraid your next experience will most likely be much more...well...real."

He chuckles. "Well, thanks for starting me out on a good note then."

Keely keeps frowning and Mason gently pokes her side with his elbow. "I was making a joke."

"Huh?" She shakes her head. "Sorry, I went somewhere for a second."

"You do that a lot."

She shrugs sheepishly. Mason raises his eyebrow. "I do have a question for you, though."

"About me spacing out?" she asks in confusion.

"About why it hit you like it did."

Keely furrows her brow. "What do you mean?"

He thinks for a moment about how to best approach the subject. "I mean...what made you realize I'm not the one?"

She grows uncomfortable at the idea of actually telling him the reason why her revelation struck her so suddenly and with such an incredible impact.

"Uh...I..."

Mason smiles. "It was Phil, right?"

Her eyes widen. "How did you know?"

He rolls his eyes playfully. "Nagging suspicions, remember?"

"Am I like a really awful person for thinking of someone else while my boyfriend's only trying to do what I accused him of not doing?"

Mason wrinkles his eyebrows. "I think I got that," he says unconvincingly. "No?" he offers.

Keely sighs. "I'm sorry about that by the way."

"Oh, it's fine," he says waving her off. "Don't have to guess at reasons for our limited physical interaction at any rate," he teases.

"Yeah..that mystery's been pretty much solved."

Mason rises to his feet and looks down at her. "What are you going to do now?"

She frowns and shrugs her shoulders.

"Want some advice even if it's from a novice?"

"I'll take anything at this point..no offense."

Mason smiles. "You should talk to him."

Keely chuckles. "Where have I heard _that_ before?" she wonders thinking back to her conversation with her mom.

Of course, then she was only trying to comprehend how to explain to Phil how she'd discovered that her decision to end their friendship was a mistake...that sure seems simple now in light of her current problem.

She laughs again and looks up at Mason. "I can't believe I'm getting relationship advice from a guy not ten minutes after I break up with him."

"I'm sure stranger things have happened," Mason replies reassuringly.

"I thank you regardless," she says with a deep sincerity.

He nods. "On that note..I should go."

He pulls her to her feet and wraps his arms around her in a warm, friendly embrace.

"Good luck, Keely."

He sticks out his hand for her to shake.

She laughs at the gesture, but takes his hand in hers. "You too," she says with a smile, "you know..with those future endeavors."

"Thank you."

She walks him to her bedroom door where he gives her a small wave and disappears into the hall.

Turning back to look at her bed, Keely groans and collapses onto her stomach.

Muttering into a pillow, she asks herself, "What now?"


	21. Chapter 21

This chapter is slightly different than it's original form. I wasn't sure how far I could stretch the characters, but I think even Phil could go this far.

Chapter 21

"Where're you going?"

Phil ignores his little sister and checks his hair in the bathroom mirror once more before hitting the light switch and walking to his bedroom.

"Hello?" Pim says to his back.

He turns around and rolls his eyes. "What is it now, Pim?"

She smiles innocently. "I just want to know what my big brother's plans are for the evening," she adds sarcastically, "Because he's so darn cool."

Phil just stares at her. She throws her hands up in the air. "Just humor me."

"I'm going to a party." He smirks. "Happy now?"

"Another party, Phil," she says with a raised eyebrow. "Hmm...do Mother and Father know about _this_ one?"

He regards her suspiciously. "What do you know?"

Pim glances around nonchalantly. "Oh..a thing or two," she says before pinning him down with a hard stare. "So don't test me."

Phil scoffs. "Empty threats." He steps into his room and looks at her one more time before shutting the door in her face.

"And yes, they do know." He smiles sweetly. "Bye, now."

Pim mocks him silently before heading downstairs.

"Mom, I've got a question for ya," she says leaning up against the refridgerator.

"Yes, Pim?" her mom replies while chopping some vegetables.

Pim raises her eyebrow. "Why are you doing that?"

Her mom glances over at her. "This?" she asks gesturing to the food on the cutting board.

Pim nods. Her mom shrugs. "We have to eat, don't we?"

"Yes...but why are you preparing our meals the old fashioned way?" She taps her finger against her chin. "Now that I think about it...you've been doing a lot of things the old fashioned way lately."

Her mom continues chopping. "Uh huh," she replies distractedly.

"Why?" Pim asks in alarmed curiosity.

"Well," her mom responds as she looks up in thought. "I guess it's just the thing to do now." She turns to Pim with a light laugh. "I honestly never even thought to use future technology." She smiles. "We've been here so long it really seems very natural to do things the 21st century way."

"And fun," she adds returning to her chopping with renewed vigor.

Pim's eyes widen in horror and her mouth drops open. "I'm..gonna..pretend..like..I..didn't..hear..that," she says very slowly.

Her mom doesn't appear to have heard that statement and asks, "So, is that what you came down here to ask?"

Shaking her head Pim replies, "No. I wanted to talk about our dearest Phil."

Her mom ceases her dinner preparations and looks pointedly at her daughter. "Really."

"I'm deeply concerned," Pim says covering her heart with her hands.

Her mom raises her eyebrow.

Pim sighs. "It's like this: Phil's going to yet another party and you're allowing him to do so."

Her mom asks blankly, "What's your point, Pim?"

She scoffs. "Aren't you and dad--" she holds up her hand dismissively. "Scratch that. Aren't _you_ even the slightest bit curious as to why, out-of-the-blue, your previously dull, boring, and unpopular son is spending so much time being..."

Her mom offers, "A teenager?"

Pim snaps her fingers. "Exactly!"

Her mom laughs and pats her daughter's shoulder tenderly. "Pim..your brother is only trying to have some fun and I don't think I have the right to deny him that. I mean, in a couple more years when you want to start going to parties and hanging out with your friends, I will completely understand and do you the same courtesy."

"Please," she replies in disgust, "like I'd ever lower myself to such degrading standards."

Her mom rolls her eyes. "I trust your brother, honey. I trust him to not only do the right thing, but to also talk to me if the time comes when he doesn't."

Pim raises her eyebrow, but doesn't say anything..for once.

"Does that settle this?"

She nods. Her mom smiles and turns back to her task. Pim shakes her head and walks out of the kitchen.

That night, a knock sounds at the Diffy front door as Pim walks by uninterested in answering it.

"Are you going to get that, Pim?" her mom calls from the living room, but she doesn't receive a reply as Pim makes her way up the stairs.

She shakes her head and answers the door herself.

"Hi, Jamie," she says without a smile to the girl standing there.

"Mrs. Diffy."

"Come in, please. Phil's up in his room."

"No he's not," Phil says stepping off the stairs. "Ready to go?" he asks Jamie.

She nods. "Whenever you are."

He turns to his mom. "Bye, Mom."

She waves at them as they exit the door. "You two have fun."

"Bye, Mrs. Diffy."

As they make their way to her car, Jamie frowns. "I don't think your Mom likes me much."

Phil scoffs. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know," she says with a shrug. "She just acts kinda...like I'm taking her beloved son out to corrupt his brilliant and innocent little mind."

Phil laughs. "Well...that's not so far-fetched."

Jamie punches his shoulder. "You wanna _walk_ to the party?"

He holds up his hands in surrender. "I apologize, ma'am."

Jamie smirks as she slides into the driver's seat. "That's what I thought."

As the engine roars to life, she shoves the car into gear and stomps down on the gas pedal.

Within several minutes they pull into Jared's driveway where a multitude of vehicles are already parked. Inside the house the party is already in full-swing. Jamie spots some familiar faces and drags Phil over to a small crowd of teenagers near the huge stereo system.

"Hey! It's Jamie and Phil!" Jared shouts in welcome.

Everyone laughs and Jared passes a cup to Phil. "I believe _this_ one's reserved for you."

A few people snicker and taunt him with sarcastically snide remarks. Phil rolls his eyes playfully and downs the glass as Jamie pats him on the back with a grin on her face.

Meanwhile, Keely steps through the door and is immediately taken back by the enormity of the house and the number of people packed into it. A random guy steps in front of her with a smug smirk and a wink.

"'Sup, babe? Wanna dance?" he slurs as he leans into her personal bubble.

She leans her head back at the offensive smell coming from his mouth. "Excuse me," she says as politely as possible and carefully moves around him.

As she walks further into the large crowd of teenagers standing around or dancing around her, she hears a familiar name being chanted nearby.

She scans the surrounding area and notices a small group of people standing in a circle. She moves in their direction.

"Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil!"

Keely raises her eyebrow and peeks between two bodies to see him standing in the middle of the circle leaning his head back as he downs a large cup of an unknown liquid.

He finishes the last drop and victoriously lifts the cup in the air as his fans clap and laugh.

Keely's mouth drops wide open at the unbelievable sight before her.

Quickly she spins on her heel and heads back to the front door, but she bumps into someone along her way. She glances up to see Owen smiling down at her.

"Hey there, Keel."

She flicks her eyes to his left and right at the two girls standing there watching her with blank expressions. She mutters a quick apology for interrupting and tries to pass by them, but Owen's voice stops her.

"You leavin'?" He glances at his watch. "It's much too early."

Keely shrugs awkwardly. "I gotta..go..do..something," she stutters out the lame excuse.

Owen actually picks up on her strange behavior and looks to the two girls. "Excuse me, ladies..I'll be back."

He steers a reluctant Keely to a vacant spot near a wall. "What's going on?" he asks in a concerned voice.

Keely lowers her head to look at the floor. "Nothing."

Owen bends down to look at her hidden face. "Doesn't look like nothin'."

She lifts her head back up to look at him. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asks in a slightly angry tone.

"Tell you what?" he replies cautiously.

She scoffs. "That!" she practically shouts at him as she points a finger towards the group surrounding Phil.

Owen squints his eyes to get a better look at what she's referring to. He catches a glimpse of Phil in the midst of the crowd proudly displaying a cup. He sighs heavily.

"Oh...yeeaah." He looks back at Keely. "Who'd have ever pegged Phil as such a party animal?"

"He's drinking."

Owen replies in Phil's defense, "So? Doesn't mean he's _drinking_ drinking."

She scoffs. "Right, 'cause people normally chant someone's name while they're chugging down a soda."

"Here's a thought," Owen says raising his eyebrow at her. "Why don't you ask _Phil _about it?" He shrugs. "That way you won't have to wonder."

Keely gives his surprisingly good point some consideration. Owen nods. "Yeah." He walks off leaving her to dwell on her thoughts alone.

She should just confront Phil. She dares a glance back towards him...but the group has dispersed and Phil is nowhere to be seen. She quickly scans the living room. He doesn't appear to be here any longer.

Just then, she spots Jamie standing alone near the glass double doors leading outside. She doesn't really want to have to go there, but she needs to talk to Phil and, unfortuantely, Jamie probably knows where to find him.

"Hey, Jamie," she says politely.

Jamie smiles at her, much to Keely's surprise. "Hey, Keely. I didn't know you were here."

She nods. "Yeah, um, Owen invited me."

"Cool."

"Have you seen Phil around?"

Jamie smiles again. Keely wishes she'd stop doing that since it's beginning to creep her out.

"Yeah." She points through the double doors. "He's getting me a water."

Keely nods as an awkward silence settles over them.

Jamie chuckles. "This shouldn't be weird, ya know."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Me and you," Jamie says with a smile. "Look, Keely, I know that--"

She's abruptly cut off as a loud commotion erupts behind them outside on the deck.

They look at each other for a beat before quickly heading out through the double doors to see what all the fuss is about.

A group of spectators has gathered around Phil and a guy who Keely recognizes as the drunken guy who attempted to flirt with her upon her arrival.

"What the hell?" Jamie says more to herself than to Keely as she steps towards the crowd.

Keely stands right where she is transfixed on the sight before her. Phil and the guy stand very close to one another with defiant glares on their faces.

Curiously, she moves closer to hear the quiet, venomous words being spoken between them.

"What? She got your name on her, Diffy?" the guy asks sounding much more sober than before.

Phil replies without a moment's hesitation, "Maybe."

The guy scoffs. "The way I hear it, you've gone and got yourself a shiny new replacement."

He turns to a random guy in the crowd and laughs. "Ya know, come to think of it, I probably shouldn't be gettin' so worked up over nothin'."

He smirks at Phil. "I mean, she's cute and all, but..." He laughs. "I really don't do sloppy seconds."

Phil's jaw tightens as he grits through his teeth, "Take it back."

Keely steps up to Jamie and asks quietly, "What is going on? Who is that guy?"

Jamie shakes her head. "Just some loser in my grade."

"But why are he and Phil fighting? What are they even talking about?"

Jamie doesn't have the chance to respond as the guy steps closer to Phil and glares menacingly down at him.

"What are you gonna do about it if I don't, Diffy?"

Phil's entire body tenses as the crowd silently awaits his reaction. He fights down the urge to let this escalate into something violent. He likes to think he's beyond that in spite of his desire to ram his fist into the guy's smug face.

Instead of letting his testosterone driven impulses get the best of him, he takes a deep, silent breath and drops his guard.

As he turns his head away, the guy manages to get in one last verbal jab.

"It's a shame, too." He laughs. "I bet Keely's a great little ride."

In a flash, all the previously spoken of mature ability to turn the other cheek disappears as Phil's arm swings through the air and his fist solidly connects with the guy's nose.

A resounding 'pop' fills the quiet night. For a moment...everyone and everything freezes.

Then a loud, uniform gasp from the bystanders breaks the silence as the guy grabs his face with both hands.

"Son of a b--" he tries to yell but never has the chance to finish as Phil's fist slams right back into his face equally as hard as the initial blow.

The guy staggers backwards off balance from the incredible force behind Phil's punch. A few people laugh and clap as a couple others rush to tend to the guy's bloody nose.

Phil turns around without a word and walks down the stairs leading off the deck.

Jamie laughs out loud and slaps her thigh. "Oh my...that was classic!" she squeals looking over at Keely.

But Keely's completely shocked into a numb stupor.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Keely? Are you in there?"

Jamie waves a hand in front of Keely's unblinking eyes.

"Keely," she says firmly giving her a little shake of the shoulders.

Snapping back into consciousness, Keely focuses her eyes on the face before her.

"What?"

Jamie chuckles. "I think you should be the one to go talk to him."

Keely looks at her with the most blank expression on her face. "Who?"

"Phil?" Jamie nudges her forward in the direction he went just moments ago.

"I bet I know where he's at." She smiles to herself. "Go off the stairs and down the hill."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "Huh?"

Jamie pats her shoulder in an awkward supportive gesture. "You'll see a flower garden." She laughs. "That's where you'll find him."

Without questioning her and allowing herself to be led to the wooden stairway, Keely nods her head and tries to ignore the various looks she's receiving right now.

Somehow she manages to make her way down the steps and onto the grass below. Down the gentle slope of land she spies a soft yellow glow coming from a couple of small outdoor lamps hanging on metal posts surrounding a colorful flower bed.

She sees a familiar figure sitting on a small bench with his shoulders slumped forward and his head hanging down.

Taking a deep breath to try to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable conversation, she slowly makes her way down to him.

Staring at his hands deep in thought, Phil doesn't hear her approach, but he feels it just the same.

"Hey," she says softly.

"Hey."

She's a bit thrown by his lack of surprise at her being here. She debates sitting down, but her decision is easily made when Phil reaches out a hand and touches the spot next to him without even looking up at her.

A strange, yet comfortable, feeling tugs gently at her heart as she accepts his silent invitation.

They sit quietly for several moments while Keely admires the garden and the small stream of water trickling through the rocks. The tranquility of the place they occupy momentarily blocks out her nervous anxiety and the ever-mounting tension hanging between them like a dense fog.

Phil turns his head her direction to admire a view of his own, but the movement draws her attention, and he quickly looks away as he leans back against the bench tenderly touching the knuckles on his right hand with a slight wince.

Keely immediately reaches over and gently pulls his hand into her lap.

"That's gonna bruise," she says running her fingers over the already swollen and discolored skin.

She glances up to find Phil watching her intently. His face is illuminated by the soft glow from the nightlights.

"I assume you saw the show?" he asks without any humor in his voice.

Keely nods. "I gather he had it coming."

He replies sincerely, "I'm sorry."

She shakes her head. "You don't have to apologize for your actions, Phil." She adds softly, "Not to me."

It's his turn to shake his head now. "No...I'm sorry about what he said about you."

Recalling the rather rude remark with disgust, Keely shrugs. "It's ok. No big thing."

Phil lowers his gaze to the ground. Keely asks curiously, "So..who was that guy?"

He scoffs and removes his hand from its place in her lap and carefully flexes his fingers.

"I don't even know."

Keely nods. "I had... an encounter with him earlier."

Phil glances over at her. "So that's what he was rambling on and on about." The smallest trace of a smile plays on his lips. "You must've been pretty harsh on him."

Keely chuckles softly. "My disinterest was clearly sent and received..apparently."

Looking down at his injured hand again, Phil says to himself, "I shouldn't have punched him like that."

He looks back at her. "But he just really rubbed me the wrong way, you know?"

Keely nods mutely. Phil adds, "The way he spoke about you...I just couldn't let it go."

She turns her head away from his intense gaze to look at the garden again. Phil sighs and runs his uninjured hand across his jaw.

The faint sounds from the party continue in the distance. Everything there has returned to normal. Keely wishes the same could be said for herself and the boy sitting next to her.

"I shouldn't have come here."

Phil turns his head to look at her. She sighs and tucks an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

"For several reasons," she adds under her breath.

"Then why did you?" Phil asks.

She looks into his eyes. "To see you," she admits.

Before Phil can respond, she shakes her head and looks away again. "Now I wish I hadn't."

Phil replies apologetically, "I didn't know you were there."

"No," she says looking down at her lap. "That's not what I mean."

He awaits her explanation.

She sighs. "I saw you inside before the...incident." She glances at him for a reaction.

Phil asks with a confused look on his face, "What do you mean?"

Keely scoffs at his ignorance. "It was a little hard to overlook you being the life of the party."

He furrows his brow. "You mean--"

She interrupts, "The chanting and cheering of the fan club and the chugging of the glass? Yeah, I saw that."

Phil shakes his head. "It's not what you think. That was just some of the guys giving me a hard time 'cause they know I don't drink," he explains.

Keely's not buying it. "You had your head tipped so far back guzzling it down you nearly toppled over backwards," she says incredulously.

"What? Are you sure it was me that you saw?"

"You're denying it?"

Phil sighs. "Don't answer a question with a question." He looks away and mumbles, "Do you always have to do that?"

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

Phil scoffs. "You just did it again."

Keely ignores him and steers the conversation back to the point. "I saw you, Phil," she says firmly before adding in disgust, "You, alcohol, and _Jamie_ cheering you on the whole time."

Phil's eyes widen. "What!" he exclaims in disbelief.

"She must be a bad influence on you," Keely says more to herself than to him.

He shakes his head with a bitter laugh. "You've got it all wrong, Keely."

She replies defensively, "Oh yeah? I'm wrong? Then set me straight, Phil. Tell me you haven't totally lost all common sense."

He scoffs. "I don't have to justify myself to you."

Keely raises her voice in a sarcastic tone, "Of course not! As long as Jamie's ok with your decision to make an idiot out of yourself, everything's just peachy!"

"This has nothing to do with her," he says exasperatedly. "Why do you keep dragging her into this?"

Keely snaps at him, "Well, she's your new best friend, isn't she? My, what was it?" She thinks back to what the loser-guy had told Phil earlier. "Replacement?" she asks.

"Is that what you really think? That you stopped being my friend so I just went out and found myself a rebound-buddy?" Phil nearly shouts.

Keely scoffs and shrugs her shoulders. "Well, it sure appears that way."

Phil stares at her in shocked silence. He can't believe the way she's acting and he doesn't understand where it's coming from. He shakes his head and stands up. Walking closer to the flowers, he turns back to her.

"You're wrong," he says with determination in his face. "I wasn't looking for a new friend...Jamie befriended _me_," he says waving his hands in front of him.

Keely doesn't say anything. Phil sighs. "I'm not using her friendship to get over ours..." He gazes at her with dark eyes.

"And she is _not_ your _replacement_."

He adds in a whisper, "No one could ever replace you, Keely."

She is forced to lower her eyes from the soft, powerful look in his eyes. She feels ashamed and embarrassed. She wants to say something meaningful to him; something not hurtful or vengeful, but she's numb from the overwhelming emotion rolling off him and crashing into her heart.

"Look," Phil begins in a tired voice, "I don't understand what's going on with you. You tell me you don't want to be friends, you avoid me for months, and then suddenly, the other night, I'm worthy of your time again."

Keely shakes her head sadly. "I said I didn't want us to be friends, Phil." She glances up at him. "I never said I didn't care about you."

"So that's what this is about?" he asks with a shrug. "You're angry at me because you care?"

She nods. "Yes. Phil, you're this awesome, amazing guy and I'd hate to see you go down a bad road. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

He scoffs despite her sincerity. "Oh, that's rich, especially coming from the one person in my life who has hurt me the most."

His sarcasm slaps her in the face leaving a painful sting in its wake. She looks away.

"You treat all the people you care about this way? Or am I just special?"

Tears threaten to form in her eyes so she blinks them into nonexistence. "This isn't you, Phil," she says softly turning back to look at him.

"Maybe you don't know me anymore."

His careless words strangle her heart, but to emotionally protect herself from him, she quickly reconstructs the walls.

"You're absolutely right..I don't. I look at you right now and I see nothing of the guy I knew."

"You made me this way," he says never missing a beat.

She looks at him in horrified disbelief. "What? Don't you even put this on me," she warns.

Phil just shrugs which only intensifies her anger at him.

"Oh, wait a minute. Of course I'm to blame for your reckless abandonment of everything morally right!" she yells at him rising to her feet.

"I'm the reason you find it necessary to drink alcohol at parties! I'm the reason you let Jamie Wilson hang all over you! I'm the reason you're no doubt most likely lying to your parents! And now, I'm the reason why you lost your composure and punched a guy!"

She throws her hands up in the air and shouts at the night sky. "Am I the reason for all of mankind's plight too!"

Phil watches her silently with an unreadable expression. After a few moments when she appears to have calmed down he asks in an even tone, "Are you finished?"

She puts her hand on her hip and glares at him.

He dismisses her anger and stuffs his hands in his pockets and begins to speak in a calm, cool manner.

"I've had alcohol at these parties before, but not anymore. And not tonight. I was having a soda instead. And the guy's were making a mockery of it. All in good fun."

"Jamie and I are just friends. We thought there could be something more at first, but we were both wrong."

"I have lied to my parents...more than once. And I'm not proud of it, nor do I think it's right."

"I punched that guy because he deserved it. He said something about someone I care very much about that wasn't very nice."

He steps forward a few inches.

"And I didn't do any of these things because of you." He adds after a beat, "Well, except for that last one."

He sighs. "I'm sorry I made you believe that I blame you for it. I was angry. I didn't mean it."

Keely stares at him blankly but inside she's an emotional train-wreck. She wants to tell him she's sorry for accusing him, and for doubting him, and for yelling at him, and for...everything.

But she can't. Not right now.

After several long seconds of silence, Phil softly clears his throat and slowly walks towards the hill without looking back at her.

Keely's mind screams at her to say something...anything. Not wasting any time to sort through the muddled mess in her brain, she says, directly from her heart, the first thing that comes to her.

"You are."

Phil stops halfway up the hill and turns back to her. "What's that?"

Keely turns to face him with a shimmer in her tear-laden eyes.

"Special," she says soflty.

Phil's heart sighs in his chest, but his face doesn't show his elation.

She adds with a small, sad half-smile, "I forgot that for a while."

He fights down the rushing surge of desire within him to run to her and wrap her tightly in his arms and never let her go.

But, to not risk losing his self-control, he nods his head the slightest bit and slowly turns and walks up the hill to the house.

After a beat, Keely lowers herself back down to the bench. Staring out at the garden, left alone with only her thoughts and the soft gurgle from the brook, she finally allows the tears to fall.


	23. Chapter 23

This was supposed to be out sooner, but life has a tendency to only happen when I'm doing something else. :)

Chapter 23

"Wow."

Keely switches the phone to her other ear and leans against her headboard.

"That's all you've got to say?"

Via expells a deep breath on the other end of the line. "No, that's not all. I'm just so initially shocked."

"No words of wisdom?"

"You didn't like my previous wise words."

"I never said that."

"I could tell."

Keely sighs. "So..after the," she says while waving her hand in the air, "whatever...I realized something."

Via pretends to not know what that something is. "What's that?"

"I'm falling in love with him."

Via gasps. "Keely...I can't believe you just spoke it out loud."

She rolls her eyes. "You mean you knew?"

"I've wondered a time or two, yes."

Keely laughs bitterly. "Am I the only one who _didn't _know?"

"Come on, Keely, surely you've considered it before."

She sighs. "I guess a part of me knew." She adds in exasperation, "Why didn't I admit it to myself before I made a complete mess of things?"

"Were you afraid?"

Keely sits up quickly. "Yes! That's totally the reason, V!"

Via laughs. "Calm down, Keely."

"Sorry," she replies slouching back down. "I _was_ afraid...just not for the reasons I thought."

"Well, I can't blame you."

Keely furrows her brow. "For what? Being afraid or falling in love?"

Via chuckles. "Both, actually."

Keely smiles. "Well, I was afraid because he's...you know." She sighs. "He's _Phil_."

"Yes, very scary that boy."

"Ha."

Via says sincerely, "I'm sorry. I really shouldn't kick you while you're down."

"You really shouldn't."

Via sighs. "So, are you going to tell him_ this _or are you going to conveniently overlook it like you did with your decision to not tell him you wanted to be his friend again?"

"I'm gonna...tell him," she replies in a small voice.

"Hmph."

"Hey!" Keely exclaims defensively. "Correct me if I'm wrong here, V, but wasn't it _you_ who advised me not to tell him I wanted to be friends again?"

"Right, I gave you advice, Keely." She scoffs. "You never had to take it."

"But I thought you knew what you were talking about!"

"Perhaps I was wrong."

Keely fights the urge to scream into the phone. "Via," she says slowly as she tries to keep her frustrated anger in check, "I'm having a bit of a crisis here..." Her voice raises in pitch. "And you're not helping!"

Via laughs. "Keely, calm down. Earth is still revolving around the sun and spinning on its axis."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind." She sighs. "You might as well forget about the past, I mean, we're no longer talking about trying to patch up your friendship with Phil...we're talking about you trying to start up a relationship with him."

She adds after a pause, "And from what you've told me about his apparent interest in doing the same..I don't think you'll have to try too hard."

Keely frowns. "But...we can't be friends?"

"Oh!"

"Sorry, sorry, I know, I know." Keely mentally kicks herself.

"Keely, for the sake of all that's good in this world, _please_...if you're falling in love with your ex-best friend..._tell him_!"

She breathes out loudly. "Alright."

"Ok?"

"Yes, I will do exactly that."

"Good."

"Great."

After a beat, Via says, "I have to go now, but before I do I want you to be clear that I support your decision and I think the idea of you and Phil..._finally_...getting on the same page is very, very awesome."

She adds in awe, "I still can't believe he punched a guy..." She finishes excitedly, "and for you!"

Keely smiles at the thought. "I know," she says quietly before coming back to the present. "Thanks, V."

She hangs up the phone and goes downstairs. Her mom calls to her from the laundry room.

"Yeah, Mom?"

Dumping the remaining articles of clothing into the washing machine, she looks at Keely.

"Do you have any more darks?"

Keely shakes her head. Her mom nods and resumes her task. Keely bites down on her lip and leans her shoulder against the door frame.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

Keely sighs and that draws her mom's attention. She faces her with a concerned look.

"Are you alright, Keely?"

She frowns. "Can we talk?" She adds meekly, "Again?"

Her mom smiles reassuringly as she quickly finishes her chores and gently guides her daughter into the kitchen where she encourages her to sit at the small table.

Her mom folds her hands in her lap and sits up straight prepared to listen. Keely takes a moment to collect herself.

She begins slowly, "When you were my age...did you have a good friend...that was a guy?"

Her mom smiles. "I was wondering when you'd bring it up again."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "I've never asked you that before." She frowns. "Have I?"

"No, I meant I was wondering when you would tell me how the situation with Phil went."

"Oh."

Her mom questions curiously, "How did it happen to go?"

Keely sighs and suddenly finds great interest in her nails. "Um...well..."

"You never told him, did you, sweetheart," her mom offers in a caring voice.

"No." She looks up at her. "I was gonna, but then Via kinda...well, honestly, what she had to say about it pretty much scared me out of doing it."

Her mom chuckles softly. "She wasn't as optimistic?"

Keely grins. "You know V, she's just a very rational person."

"Unlike your mother who happens to be quite the sucker for happily ever after."

Keely laughs. "It's ok." She smiles to herself. "I wanted to believe it too."

"Well," her mom says with a shrug. "Who says you still can't have such an ending?"

With a wince, Keely replies, "How about the fact that I've completely fallen for him?"

Her mom's face lights up in delight. "Sweetheart! I'm so happy to hear that!"

Keely raises her eyebrow. "You are?"

"Of course." Her mom smiles. "I think Phil is a fine young man." She winks. "And I couldn't think of anyone better for my daughter."

Keely blushes. "Mom," she says in embarrassment though she has to agree.

Her mom laughs light-heartedly. After a few comfortable moments she says, "And no, I wasn't so lucky back in my day."

Having forgotten her question from before, Keely shakes her head. "Yeah..about that." She frowns. "You didn't have a guy friend that you started to have..." She searches for the right words.

"More than friendly feelings for?"

Her mom shakes her head. "But I did have a friend, Susan, who found herself in a similar predicament."

Keely smiles hopefully. "Really? What happened?"

Her mom thinks for a moment as memories of her adolescent past slowly come to her. She smiles.

"They became high-school sweethearts."

A warm sensation floods Keely's body as she allows herself a moment to wonder if such a thing could happen to her.

"But then they split up after Graduation."

Keely's face drops. Her mom shakes her head and chuckles. "They moved away from each other to go to college," she explains.

"Oh."

"But they had four wonderful years together." She smiles. "They were very much in love." She winks. "You know, there is a lot of truth behind that old saying about the best relationships beginning in friendship."

Keely's mood brightens a bit as the idea makes her feel somewhat better, but a nagging little voice keeps whispering doubts about her and Phil even having the chance to build a relationship since the bottom has seemingly fell out of their friendship...or the very little remains thereof. Of course, she knows she only has herself to blame for that.

Her mom suddenly rises from her chair. "Oh, sweetheart, I hate to interrupt here, but I almost forgot that I have to make an important work-related phone call."

She nods. "That's fine. I think this conversation is pretty much over and done with anyway."

Her mom tilts her head to the side. "What are you going to do?"

Keely takes a deep breath. "I'm gonna...do what I should have done a long time ago," she says looking up at her mom. "I'm gonna talk to him."

Her mom nods her approval and heads towards her office, but stops abruptly.

"Oh! Keely, I meant to tell you that your cousin called this morning while you were in the shower." She puts a hand to her forehead. "I'm getting to be so forgetful these days."

Keely raises her eyebrows in surprise. "What did she want?" she asks curiously.

"She's invited you to come spend the rest of the summer vacation with the family at their new summer home."

"Summer home? But isn't that in..." Her eyes widen.

Her mom laughs. "Hawaii? Yes it is."

Keely grins. "Really! She _did_! she asks in excitement.

Her mom nods. "I told her you'd call her back with an answer."

"You mean I can _actually_ go?" she asks slightly bewildered.

"If you want to," her mom replies with a smile.

Keely jumps up from the table and throws herself into her mom's unsuspecting arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she squeals.

Her mom pats her back lovingly and laughs. "You're very welcome, sweetheart." She gently pushes her back for some much needed breathing room.

"I assume you do want to go then."

Keely squeals again and claps her hands together. "Yes!"

"Alright then, I guess all that is left to do is make arrangements to get you there." Her mom frowns. "I am going to miss you, though, pumpkin."

Keely rolls her eyes playfully. "Mom..."

"I know." She shakes a finger at her. "You may be old enough to spend a month on an island without me, but you are never too grown up for me to not be sad when you're gone," she says pretending to be stern.

She adds with a smile, "You are the best daughter a mother could ever ask for, sweetheart. You more than deserve to go and have a _real_ vacation for once."

"Aww...thanks, Mom." Her eyes widen again. "I gotta go call her!"

Her mom laughs as Keely quickly runs out of the kitchen. Upstairs in her room, she leaps onto her bed.

"I'm going to Hawaii, I'm going to Hawaii," she sings to herself as she starts to dial.

But her actions are halted as a thought rudely shoves her joy aside. All her excitement disappears from her face.

"Ugh." She groans and drops the phone back into its cradle.

Her first instinct was to, without hesitation, grab up the rare opportunity to get out of Pickford since she's been away from home only a few times in her whole life. Who wouldn't want to go to Hawaii for a month and hang out on the beach with their favorite and coolest cousin?

But if she leaves, which she expects to be soon, how is that going to affect what's happening in her life right now? Should she have 'the talk' with Phil before she leaves town or should she save it for her return? And if she does choose to postpone the drama, are there any guarantees that he'll be open to what she has to say?

She tightly shuts her eyes as a familiar headache begins to pound away at her brain.

Then another thought hits her. Maybe a change of scenery would actually help. Maybe giving them both some time to reflect on things will make any decisions easier to voice and then adjust to. Maybe allowing some reprieve from the other night's total disaster is a good thing.

She opens her eyes and nods. "Yeah."

Choosing to go with that, she picks up the phone again.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Phil, can you hand me the...uh..."

A wrench appears in front of her face from her place under the kitchen sink. "That's it," she says turning back to examine the pipe with a confused look. "Hmm."

"Maybe we should just call a plumber," Phil says looking down at his mom doubtful of her ability to do anything other than worsen the small leak.

"You know, this is kind of their specialty."

His mom grunts as she wrestles with the present day tool. "Phil.." she strains. "I can fix.." she says with another grunt, "a leaky pipe..." she breathes out, "just fine without a so-called plumber _or_ future technology."

"Ok then." He sighs. "But before you flood the place, can we talk about something?"

She sets the wrench down and glances up at him. "What is it, honey?"

"It's important," he says seriously. "And I'd rather not have this conversation with you under the sink."

"Alright," she says while crawling out carefully. She stands and brushes her hands on her jeans. "How about the table?"

Phil nods and sits across from her. She waits for him to begin. He breathes in nervously and bravely lets it all go.

"I've done some things that I shouldn't have."

His mom furrows her brow and opens her mouth to speak, but he effectively cuts her off.

"The first party I went to at the beginning of the summer...I had a few drinks."

His mom raises both eyebrows. He continues hoping to not lose his nerve before he can get everything out into the open.

"And that night I went out for pizza...I never told you that I really went to another party about an hour away."

His mom takes a deep breath and narrows her eyes at him, but still doesn't get the chance to speak.

"And the other night.. I got into a fight with some guy and punched him...twice."

He holds out his right hand. "That's how this happened. I lied again. Owen didn't step on it."

The room grows silent. Phil can hear the ticking of the clock on the wall mocking him as it counts down the seconds until he meets his doom. He dares a look at his mother. She is as still as a statue and staring straight at him without any expression, but Phil knows her blank look is deceiving...she's _really_ angry on the inside. He can practically feel the heat coming off her in waves from across the table.

After several long, exhausting minutes, Phil lowers his head and glances up at her through his lashes timidly.

"Mom?"

She breathes out a long breath that she seems to have been holding the entire time.

"I see."

Phil worries his bottom lip.

"Is that all?" she asks in an even voice.

Not trusting his voice to not crack, Phil just nods his head.

"I think we should wait until your father comes home from the store to finish this," she says slowly rising from the table and scooting her chair back into its place.

"I'm sor--"

She holds up her hand. "We'll talk about this later, Phil."

She crawls back under the sink. Phil watches her for a few moments before he carefully stands up.

"I'll, uh..be...up in my room," he says uneasily.

"That is a great idea," his mom replies in a flat tone not bothering to look up at him.

Phil hangs his head and drags himself to the top of the stairs where his sister is apparently waiting for him.

He casts at her a solemn glance. "Go ahead."

Pim raises her eyebrow. "What?"

Phil scoffs. "I know you were listening so just say your piece and let me go sulk in my guilt and shame."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Pim prepares to really lay it on him, but something about the sadness in his eyes and in his voice sparks an emotion in her she doesn't have much experience with.

She rolls her eyes at the feeling and offers in a unusually sympathetic tone, "I'll let it be."

Phil raises his eyebrows in surprise as a smile tugs at the corner of his lips. Pim quickly dismisses him with a wave of her hand.

"Let's not get carried away," she says quickly. "I'm _only_ doing this out of pity for your poor soul."

His smile instantly fades as the hope that his sister might actually be human goes right with it.

"Mom and Dad are gonna burn you at the stake, my brother," she says with a light laugh.

Phil's too numb to respond. She frowns. "Oh come on."

"Excuse me," he says without any emotion and walks into his room, quiety shutting the door behind him.

Pim throws her hands up into the air. "Whatever."

Later that night, Jamie knocks on the front door. Pim is the one to answer.

"Oh, it's _you_," she greets the visitor unenthusiastically.

"Hi, Pim, is Phil home?"

She smiles. "Phil's grounded," she states happily. "Forever." She adds with a sarcastic pout, "So he can't come out and play."

Jamie raises her eyebrow. "What'd he get grounded for?"

Pim scoffs. "The same things you should probably be grounded for yourself."

Jamie ignores her. "But what did he do?"

Pim sighs. "Since you really _are_ as dumb as you look, I'll help ya out."

Jamie narrows her eyes at her, but Pim is clearly not affected.

"He finally told our parents the truth about his little adventures this summer."

"Is he insane?" Jamie asks in disbelief.

"No," Pim says simply. "Just incredibly stupid." She sighs. "It's a fine line."

"So I can't talk to him?"

"You're joking right?" she asks dryly.

"Jamie," says a firm voice from behind Pim.

"Mrs. Diffy, I didn't see you there."

She glances down at her daughter and motions with a jerk of her head for her to make herself scarce. Pim wisely chooses to heed the silent warning firmly attached to the gesture.

"Phil is not available, nor will he be for quite some time I'm afraid."

Jamie nods awkwardly. "Yeah, Pim kinda gave me the scoop."

"Well, goodnight then, Jamie."

"Wait, Mrs. Diffy," she says quickly before the door shuts.

She looks at her with a blank face. Jamie rolls her shoulders back trying to shrug off her uneasiness.

"Um..I just want you to know that..I know what Phil did was wrong, but I don't think he did those things intentionally to break any rules. He didn't do any of it out of spite or to be mean."

Mrs. Diffy nods her head. "I thank you for your show of support, which I'm sure Phil would appreciate as well, but I have to ask you, Jamie, where was the friend that Phil needed while all these things happened?"

Jamie's stomach turns as an ill feeling overcomes her.

"The person who's supposed to reinforce his knowledge of how wrong certain behaviors are like drinking and lying and fighting," she adds to emphasize her point.

Jamie sighs. "I know. I apologize...to both of you. I haven't been that great of a friend."

Mrs. Diffy nods and moves to close the door again, but Jamie stops her.

"Just one more thing," she says cautiously. "The drinking and lying were pretty much all Phil, but, in his defense, the fighting thing..."

"What about it?"

Jamie shrugs. "Well, I don't know what he told you about that..."

"He said a boy at a party picked a fight with him and he reacted instinctly and unwisely."

"Yeah...but," Jamie explains carefully, "he punched that guy 'cause of something really, really rude he said about Keely..."

Mrs. Diffy furrows her brow. "Keely? He never mentioned anything about her."

Jamie hides a smile. "Well, he was probably just trying to be humble about publicly defending her honor."

The shadow of a smile crosses Phil's mom's face. Jamie shrugs. "So...maybe you could understand why he did that at least?" she asks hopefully.

Mrs. Diffy nods her head. "I think I can," she says in a lighter tone.

Jamie offers her an awkward smile and a wave before leaving as she closes the door and smiles to herself making a mental note to ask Phil about that in the near future.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Can I come in?"

Keely looks up from her half-packed suitcase to see Jamie standing in her bedroom doorway.

"Jamie?" she asks wondering what on earth she's doing in her house.

"I told your mom I was a friend...hope that's ok."

Keely pushes her case aside on her bed and motions for her to enter. "I guess," she says a little unsure about it.

She raises her eyebrow. "What brings you by?"

Jamie glances around the room distractedly at the various knickknacks. She spies a photograph tucked haphazardly into what appears to be a diary resting on a small wall shelf. A familiar face, partially sticking out from between the pages, catches her interest. She can just barely see him, and she doesn't have to guess who's arm is resting on his shoulder. The blonde girl currently sitting on the bed is no doubt the reason behind that brilliant smile.

As her gaze lingers on the picture, Keely clears her throat to draw her attention.

"Oh, right." Jamie smiles. "Um, well, what's the one thing we have in common?"

Keely nods fully aware of the answer to that question. "So what's up?"

"I was at his house last night, but I didn't get to see him." Off Keely's confused look she explains, "He's grounded."

Keely raises her eyebrows in surprise. "For what?"

Jamie chuckles. "_Apparently_, he went and did like number one on the list of things not to do when you're trying to hide something from your parents."

"What's that?"

"He told them everything he was trying to hide."

"Oh."

Jamie sighs. "Yeah, it's too bad 'cause I kinda got the feeling he's gonna be in that house for a long time to come."

Keely glances down at the floor. "So..is that why you're here?"

Jamie shakes her head. "I was gonna come by anyway."

"For what?" Keely asks slowly.

"I know you don't like me, Keely, and that's fine." She shrugs. "But you really don't have any legitimate reason not to." She looks up at the ceiling. "Well, at least as far as anything Phil-related goes."

Keely scoffs. "You think I don't like you because of Phil?"

Jamie smiles. "Just between us girls...you pretty much made up your mind about me the second you saw me hangin' out with him."

"Maybe," she replies looking away.

"But I get it." Jamie sighs. "Obviously, you and Phil share something that maybe the two of you don't even realize is there, but I do, and I came here to put you on the spot about it."

Jamie smiles, but Keely isn't at all comfortable with where this conversation is going.

"I had an interesting little chat with Phil before the whole party thing, and I gotta tell you, since he most likely won't even if he ever gets the chance to have some kind of outside interaction with the people again..."

She sets her eyes squarely on Keely's uncertain face. "The boy's totally in love with you."

Keely's jaw drops and her eyes widen. Jamie smirks. "I love being the bearer of good news for once."

"I..." she begins slowly. "He told you that?"

Jamie shrugs. "More or less." She sighs. "The point is that it's true. And Phil is totally jealous of your boyfriend 'cause well...he wants that privilege for himself."

Keely shakes her head. "Um, just for the record..I don't have a boyfriend...anymore."

"Oh." Jamie cocks her head. "What happened?"

"It's not important."

Jamie grins. "Lemme guess...Phil happened."

Off Keely's guilty look, she laughs. "You two are _definitely_ made for each other."

Keely smiles in spite of herself. "And here I thought this was gonna be weird."

Jamie laughs again. After a quiet beat, Keely gestures to the bed. "Wanna sit?"

"Thanks," Jamie replies happy to accept the offer. She notices the suitcase. "Goin' on a trip?"

Keely nods. "Yeah, I'm going to stay with my cousin in Hawaii until school starts."

"Oh," Jamie replies mysteriously before nearly shouting, "Wait, did you say Hawaii?'

Keely ignores her and focuses on her vague comment. "What 'oh'?"

"Nothin'...just...I'm wondering how you're gonna handle the Phil situation if you're not here," she admits.

Keely sighs. "If you only knew how many times I've been over that with myself." She looks at Jamie. "I've decided to put things on hold until I get back."

"Oh, ok," Jamie says nodding her head.

Raising an eyebrow, Keely says, "You don't think that's a good idea."

Jamie shakes her head. "Hey, I'm not one to judge something I know absolutely nothin' about."

Keely frowns and looks down at her lap. Jamie holds up a hand. "But, I'll gladly keep an eye on him for ya" she says in a perky voice trying to be helpful, but Keely misinterprets her motivation.

Jamie adds quickly, "Assuming his mom ever lets me near him again."

"Uh... huh," Keely says slowly regarding her with a fair amount of skepticism.

Jamie laughs. "Ease up, Keely...me and Phil are just friends." She shakes her head. "I could never like him that way after some of the things I've witnessed."

Keely laughs nervously. "Yeah, and let's not expand on that. Ok?"

Jamie laughs again. Keely asks curiously with a little smile, "So, Mrs. Diffy is not too fond of you?"

Narrowing her eyes, Jamie replies sweetly, "Yeah, that's right. She hates me, I'm sure, so you can have happy dreams about that tonight."

Keely laughs. "Sorry."

"Well, we can't all be a mother's perfect example of a suitable companion for her dear son."

Keely rolls her eyes as Jamie waves her hands in the air. "So, wait a minute, how come you get to go to Hawaii while I get to stay here in Funville?" she asks sarcastically.

They both laugh and continue to talk for a surprisingly long time until Keely's mom hints at her daughter's need to finish up her packing and get to bed early for their long drive to the airport in the morning.

Keely walks Jamie down to the front door.

"Well, have a good time."

She nods. "Thanks, I think I will. And you don't mind playing messenger for me? 'Cause I _could_ tell him myself, but I don't really know what to say and I'm sure you could find a much better way to explain things."

Jamie laughs. "It's not a problem." She smiles. "Calm, remember?"

Keely shrugs sheepishly.

Jamie waves and turns to go.

"Hey, Jamie."

Turning around to look at her, she replies, "Yeah?"

"Thank you," Keely says sincerely.

Jamie smiles and shrugs. "It's the least I could do."

Keely nods and closes the door. Jamie grins to herself with a little gleam in her eye.

"But I can do _one_ more thing."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I'm going to get in so much _more_ trouble for this."

Phil takes a deep breath and peeks his head out his bedroom door into the dark hallway. Judging the coast to be clear, he tiptoes down the stairs, careful to miss the step that creaks, and heads to the back door.

"Late night snack?"

His heart nearly jumps out of his chest as he closes his eyes and tries to catch his breath.

Pim stands with a rather large piece of chocolate cake in her hand and a suspicious look on her face.

Phil whispers, "Pim, I know this is the greatest opportunity you've ever had to get me into the most trouble I've ever been in, but I have to do this." He sighs. "So feel free to tell Mom and Dad as soon as I leave that door."

Pim raises her eyebrow and studies him for a moment. "You have to do what?"

Phil rolls his eyes. "If you must know, I have to go see Keely."

"Right now," she says in a bored voice.

Nodding his head, Phil replies, "Yes, right now."

"Why?" she asks leisurely taking a bite of her cake.

Phil shakes his head. "Fine..I have to talk to her before she leaves."

Pim smiles around a mouthful of chocolate. "Blondie's leaving?"

"Pim," Phil warns.

She chuckles. "I'm kidding." She swallows her food. "Like I really care anyway."

Phil ignores her and moves to the door. Pim quietly clears her throat. He looks back at her.

"I won't tell." She points a finger at him. "But you better pray they don't find out if you ever expect to get out of that black hole of despair you call a room ever again."

Phil smiles. "Thanks, Pim." He adds before closing the door behind him, "I appreciate it, but thanks to the guilt trip Mom put me on..." He grins. "I'll probably end up telling them myself."

She rolls her eyes at him as he disappears into the night.

As he slips out of the backyard, a few drops of water splash onto his head. He looks up as a light sprinkling of rain begins to fall.

"Figures," he mutters to himself before breaking out into a run towards Keely's house.

During the time it takes him to cover the short distance to his destination, the sprinkle turns into a moderate shower. He squints up through the rain to the darkened second-story window.

"Now what?" he says to himself having not actually planned this far ahead.

Looking around for something to throw at the glass that won't break it in the process, he spies a rubber cat toy in the grass. Grabbing it up quickly, he aims as best he can and tosses it up into the sky. Luckily, his shot is accurate and firm enough to hit the window with a dull thud.

He waits for about a minute, but nothing happens so he picks up the toy and tries again. After several more seconds, a light illuminates the glass. He smiles as a shadow passes in front of the window. The curtain draws back as a familiar face peers down into the darkness.

Phil waves his arms to grab her attention. He can't see her face that well and when the curtain drops back into its place and the light extinguishes, he slumps his shoulders in defeat.

But within a couple of minutes, the back door slowly swings open.

"Keely?" he asks stepping closer.

"Phil, what the heck are you doing out here?" she asks in disbelief.

He shrugs without comment. Keely sighs and motions him out of the rain onto the small porch.

"It's the middle of the night," she states, "and it's pouring rain."

Phil smiles nervously as he steps onto the porch. "Is it?"

Keely narrows her eyes at him. He shrugs and glances down at her. "Nice pajamas."

Pulling her jacket around herself to cover up her rather snug-fitting rainbow-dotted tanktop, she mentally kicks herself for not slipping on some more outdoor-appropriate clothing. She glances down at herself unable to do anything about the matching boxers.

"Is that why you came over here? To approve of my sleepwear?" she asks irritatedly.

"Noo..."

She sits on a white plastic chair. "So why are you here then?"

He stuffs his hands in his pockets and rocks on his heels. "Um..well..I-I needed...to...talk to you."

Keely raises an eyebrow at his sudden nervousness as a similiar feeling begins to grow in her.

"Got an email from Jamie that said you're leaving tomorrow," he explains.

Keely sighs. "She was _supposed_ to tell you after I was gone."

Phil looks a little hurt. "You didn't want me to know?"

"It's not that..I just.. didn't think I could tell you myself, so I asked her to tell you later, you know, in case you happened to wonder."

Phil scoffs. "Like I wouldn't wonder why you weren't around?"

"I don't know...would you have really even noticed?" she asks with a shrug.

He furrows his brow. "Why do you think I wouldn't have noticed you being gone?"

Keely sighs. "Can we please not have an entire conversation of only questions?"

"Says the girl who just asked one," Phil teases.

"Very funny."

They sit in silence for several seconds as the rain falls even heavier and a low rumble of thunder sounds in the distance.

Keely shivers and wraps her arms around herself. Phil catches her movement and automatically slides the other chair closer to her and sits down. He starts to peel off his jacket to offer to her as a makeshift blanket, but then he remembers it's currently soaking wet.

"Uh.."

Keely smiles at him sitting there with his arm half-way through his sleeve.

"I was going to...but...yeah," he says slowly as he puts his arm back through the hole.

Keely chuckles softly with an appreciative look in her eyes. "Forgive my manners," she says standing up. "I'll get you a towel."

Before Phil can protest she's already inside just around the corner where she plucks a fresh towel from a folded pile that she was supposed to have put in the bathroom closet earlier today.

She returns to her seat and holds it out to him. "Here you go."

He shakes his head and instead of drying himself off, he gently spreads the towel across Keely's lap to cover the goosebumps that have appeared on her skin.

While her face shows subtle surprise at the kind gesture, her heart sings joyfully. She involuntarily shivers as his hand lightly brushes against her bare knee.

He sits back in his chair and asks with concern in his soft voice, "Still cold?"

Keely shakes her head and mentally sighs in relief that he didn't notice the real reason for her reaction.

He smiles and runs a hand over his wet hair sending a light spray of rainwater out in all directions. Keely flinches as the cool drops of liquid hit her face.

"Sorry about that," Phil says sheepishly.

She wipes a drop from her eye and jokes, "Wanna go ahead and give me that jacket after all?" She grins. "Finish me off?" she adds lightly.

Phil smiles and ducks his head in embarrassment. "This isn't how I planned this." He shakes his head. "Wait, I take that back." He looks up at her through his lashes. "I didn't plan this at all."

Keely smiles. "Yeah, I figured as much." She adds in a more serious tone, "Seems like a lot of things are unplanned lately."

He nods. "Yeah."

"So..." she begins with uncertainty. "I was hoping to have a good month or so to prepare for what I was going to say to you in light of our last..well, you know."

Phil replies solemnly, "One more thing to add to the list of things I've managed to screw up."

"You're not a screwup," she says trying to be reassuring.

He shrugs. "I _have_ been." He adds after a beat, "But I'm going to change that starting now."

He gazes at her intently, but then doubt creeps into him as he swallows nervously.

"Or I hope to, anyway."

Keely stares at him as the implications of that statement hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh," she squeaks out.

Phil takes a deep breath. "Keely, I--"

"Wait!" she nearly shouts.

He immediately freezees. "What?"

"Uh..." she chuckles, "I um..I have something I need to tell you."

"Ok..." he says slowly.

She sighs heavily. "I guess I should just start from the beginning."

He patiently waits for her to continue with a blank look on his face.

"The very beginning." She gives herself a moment while taking a deep breath.

"I was wrong about why I didn't want to be your friend anymore. Truth is...I just recently became aware of that." She stands up and begins pacing the small porch.

"Somehow I figured that I was missing out on this great...normal life that other people our age have."

Phil scoffs. "Oh, normal's overrated, believe me. I mean, I tried it and look what it got _me_," he says with a grin.

Keely chuckles. "Right." She glances out at the downpour soaking the ground beyond its capacity as small puddles begin to form.

"Well, I had to throw something at you." She sighs and looks back at him. "The future was pretty much all I had." She smiles teasingly. "You don't have a whole lot of flaws to choose from, you know."

Phil offers her a small smile despite the slight hurt he feels. Keely notices how he lowers his eyes to look at the floor, and she realizes her mistake.

"I didn't mean that you being from the future is a flaw...I just..." she expells a puff of air unable to explain herself.

"It's ok," Phil says not very convincingly. "Maybe it _is_ a flaw." He shrugs. "It doesn't seem to make my life, or yours for that matter, any easier."

Keely shakes her head. "But that doesn't matter, Phil. So being from the future complicates things...it doesn't give me an excuse to use it against you." She adds quietly, "Like you said before, it _is_ your life no matter what."

Phil furrows his brow. "So if you didn't push me away because of that, what was it?"

She stares out at the yard again. After a long enough pause to collect her courage, she looks back at him.

"Well," she begins slowly, "I meant what I said about not wanting to be friends."

He quickly lowers his eyes to examine the patterns formed on his t-shirt by the rain.

Keely adds, "But that's 'cause I'm not sure if people can be friends and.. something more at the same time."

She sighs in frustration. "And I felt that way before, but I wouldn't let myself believe it 'cause...I was afraid of it," she finishes softly. "I was afraid of myself and you and...us."

As quickly as he took his eyes off her, he sets them right back on target. "What?" he asks not exactly sure of what he's just heard.

She lowers her chin and stuffs her hands into her jacket pockets sure that she had only enough courage to say that once. But thankfully, Phil speaks again.

"So you..." He shakes his head. "But what about Mason?"

She answers quietly, "That's not an issue anymore."

Phil gives that a moment to sink in before taking things any further.

"When..." he begins slowly, "did you figure out you wanted to do something about..your feelings?" he asks carefully.

Keely glances his direction. "Well," she says in thought, "I guess it really first started to make sense when I saw you with Jamie that day at the mall."

Phil nods. "So you were jealous," he states in a tone bordering on disappointment.

Keely raises her eyebrow at his odd reaction. "I...yeah. I was," she finally admits to him.

"But you never wanted to act on your feelings for me until then?" he asks almost sadly.

"What are you implying?" Keely asks cautiously.

He scoffs. "Well, do you think it's possible you're confusing feelings for me with jealousy? Maybe it's just that you felt threatened by her."

Keely replies defensively, "No, that's ridiculous."

"Well, how can you be sure? I mean, you just took back all those things you didn't mean from before." He shrugs unemotionally. "And you seemed pretty certain of them when you first said them to me."

She shakes her head in disbelief at how he's acting. "You don't believe me?

Phil sighs. "I'm not saying that." He stands up and moves a few steps in her direction. "I just don't want to get my hopes up," he adds truthfully.

Keely slightly trembles at the deep sincerity in his voice, but she can't get over his lack of faith in her.

"You think I'm just gonna change my mind or something?" she asks with hurt in her voice.

Phil replies honestly, "Well, considering that's what I've got to go on based on previous experiences..."

Keely raises her voice in anger, "I don't believe this!" She turns away from him and braces herself with both arms on the wooden railing.

"I'm confessing my deepest secret and you're..." She throws her hands up in the air and then spins back to face him as she crosses her arms over her chest.

"Giving me the brush off!" she finishes.

Phil shakes his head. "That's not it." He scoffs. "But I do think I've earned the right to question you."

Keely says sadly, "I can't believe you doubt me."

"Why not?" he asks with a shrug. "You've doubted me."

"That was different," she says firmly.

Phil raises his eyebrows incredulously. "Oh, so I get to sit passively back while you question my sense of morality, but I can't be even a little bit suspect of your ability to make a decision about something and actually stick to it?"

"Why are you attacking me?" Keely practically shouts.

He sighs. "I'm only trying to figure out what's going on."

Keely scoffs. "Well, could you do that while being slightly less..." she waves her hands in the air trying to find the right word. After a beat it comes to her.

"_Mean_?"

Phil shrugs. "Maybe I'm not being mean." He gestures at her with a lift of his chin. "Maybe you've got a guilty conscience."

Keely narrows her eyes at him. "Ha!" she exclaims sarcastically. "That's a good one, Phil." She points an accusing finger at him. "Especially coming from Mr. Guilty himself!"

Phil ignores that and rolls his eyes. "And here we are...arguing...again." He tilts his head to the side and squints his eyes looking up at the top of the porch roof. "I'm beginning to see a pattern."

Hanging her head in defeat, Keely replies quietly, "You're right." She glances back up at him with a confused look on her face. "Why _are_ we arguing?"

"I think," Phil begins slowly, "neither of us is emotionally mature enough to deal with this."

Keely winces. "Unfortunately...I think that's true." She sighs. "What does that say for us?"

Phil shrugs. "To me, it means we're young...and clueless." He offers a small grin. "That's to be expected."

Keely asks hopefully, "Maybe we could try it again?"

He looks out at the rain that has slacked off from the torrential downpour earlier. A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the yard, but the thunder sounds farther away than before. He expells the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Maybe." He turns to look at her. "But not tonight."

"Oh," Keely says looking down at the light pink nail polish on her bare feet.

Phil adds to reassure her that he's not giving up on them yet, "Because it's late." He steps the smallest distance closer to her. "And you've got a big day ahead."

He sighs and runs a hand over his damp hair causing it to spike. "And I'm going to have to face the music for this little late night excursion sooner or later."

Keely gives him a sympathetic look. He shrugs. "At least I can get a few hours of sleep in before that time comes," he says trying to be optimistic.

She shakes her head at him in disbelief. "You'd risk even more punishment just to come over here and resolve...absolutely nothing," she says with a bitter laugh.

Phil steps even closer to her so that only a couple feet seperate them as he gazes at her with dark eyes.

"I don't care if we'd have spent the last.." He checks his watch. "Forty-five minutes staring at the rain."

He glances back to her as he adds softly, "I was with you." He smiles. "That's more than worth the risk."

Keely blushes against her will. "Well, I'm glad you took it."

They stand gazing at each other for several minutes as the rain continues to fall, but much more gently now. The chill that the rain brought in has been replaced by warm, comfortable air filled with the sweet smell of a summer shower.

They are perfectly content to hang onto the quiet moment knowing that it will be the last they share for a while.

Reluctantly, Phil is the first to end the peaceful moment.

"It's going to be a long five weeks." He frowns. "And _boring_ since I've booked myself on an all-expense-paid bedroom retreat."

Keely smiles. "Well, you kinda deserved it."

Phil feigns offense as his mouth drops open and he places his hand over his chest. Keely laughs, and he smiles at the pleasant sound.

"Though...I do appreciate what you did for me that night." She smiles shyly. "And I feel kinda bad for you getting into trouble for it."

He waves her off. "Eh, don't worry about it." She nods and he says softly, "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Keely blushes again. Phil adds with a snicker, "Well..I might hesitate a _bit_." He winces as he shakes his hand.

"You really did give him a good one," Keely laughs.

Phil nods. "Yeah, well if the pain in my hand was any indication of the pain in his nose..." he says with a smirk. "I guess I did."

She giggles and breathes out a light-hearted sigh. "This is nice."

His eyes shine with happiness. "Yeah, it is."

Keely glances skywards. "What're things gonna be like.." she asks looking back at him, "when I get back?"

Phil shrugs. "I don't know," he says honestly while hoping that what he wants things to be like is exactly how it'll be when she returns from her trip.

He glances out at the light mist. "I see my window of opportunity has arrived."

Keely sees that he's talking about the weather, but she wishes he was talking about something else.

He gestures with a nod of his head off the porch. "I should..."

Keely nods. "And I should..." she motions to the door with her hand.

After a beat, Phil steps away from her, but Keely quickly steps forward keeping the distance between them at a minimal.

"Phil, can you promise me something?" she asks timidly.

He nods without a moment's hesitation.

Keely smiles inwardly at that. "Let's be friends," she says slowly. "If nothing else..can we do that?"

Phil's face lights up in a bright smile. "I promise," he says more sure about that than any other thing in his life. They'll be friends again...no matter what. He'll always be her friend. That, he promises to himself.

"_Best_ friends even?" Keely asks hopefully.

"Don't push it," Phil says dryly though a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

Keely rolls her eyes playfully and realizes through all the confusion and hurt..they never really changed at all. Still same old Keely and Phil. And that means more to her than anything in the world.

"I'll see you in August, I guess."

Suddenly, Keely reaches out and pulls him to her as her arms tightly encircle his neck. She rests her chin on her forearm and closes her eyes.

Phil relaxes into the embrace after easily overcoming the initial surprise. He breathes in a deep breath and enjoys the feel of her against him.

After several long minutes, he chuckles. "I'm getting you all wet."

Keely giggles into his neck. He smiles as her soft warm breath tickles his skin.

She pulls back to look into his eyes. "I don't mind," she says with a smile.

A familiar feeling tugs at his heart as a memory of another dark night enters his mind. But he decides now is not the time to take that leap. Instead, he cups her face with both hands and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Her eyes flutter closed as her heart skips a beat at the touch of his soft lips against her skin.

He releases her and looks so deeply into her eyes that he can see her very soul within their depths. Keely lowers her gaze and unwraps her arms from around his shoulders as she takes a step back.

She feels a little awkward for a brief moment, but, surprisingly, the moment passes with relative ease.

Phil begins to feel a bit regretful of his impulsive decision to show such affection, but it dissipates when she glances back up at him with a smile that lights up her whole face.

"You better get home before you get sick," she teases.

He rolls his eyes and nods his head. "I'm going, I'm going." He steps off the porch into the yard and glances up.

"Perfect timing," he says pointing up at the partially clear sky.

Keely leans out far enough to see a few stars shining brightly overhead.

"Yep," she says smiling at him even though his eyes are fixed on the sight above them. "Perfect."

Phil looks back at her. "Well, have fun in.." he sighs. "I can't believe you get to go to Hawaii."

Keely scoffs. "_Please_, 'Mr-I've-been-to-the-Stone-Age-I'm-from-the-next-century-guy'.." Phil raises an eyebrow.

"Hawaii pales in comparison."

He shrugs. "Get me some sand?"

"Deal."

"Or a lava rock!" He says snapping his fingers in excitement. He adds wagging a finger at her, "You know Hawaii is home to the most active volcano in the entire wor--"

Keely interrupts him. "Phil," she pleads. "Don't be a nerd."

"Sorry."

"Have fun...here," Keely says with a supportive smile at his doubtful look. "But not too much fun without me," she adds jokingly.

Phil shakes his head. "You know...I don't really see that happening."

Keely smiles. "Bye, Phil."

He grins. "Bye, _Keel_."

The use of her nickname is not lost on her and she nods her appreciation. He winks and turns to leave. She watches him until he's gone from her sight around the fence.

Breathing out a sigh of content, she glances up one more time at the stars and heads inside.

Leisurely strolling down the street with a lightness in his step, Phil stuffs his hands in his pockets and smiles at the heavens above.


	27. Chapter 27

Hey guys, thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 27

"Uh...good morning."

Phil squints his tired eyes to see his mom standing beside his bed with her hands on her hips and a smile on her face.

"Sleeping in?" she asks in a perky tone.

He scoots up to a sitting position and rubs his face with both hands as he yawns. Glancing over at his alarm clock, suddenly the sleepiness disappears from his eyes only to be replaced by shock.

"10:30!"

His mom smirks as he nervously smiles and tries to act casual. "I mean..I didn't realize it was so late." He shrugs sheepishly. "Must have been the amazing dinner you cooked last night, Mom," he says while rubbing a hand over his stomach.

He smiles. "I slept like a baby."

"Uh huh," his mom replies unimpressed with his cover story. She glances at the window. "Or _perhaps_ it was the rain."

Phil nods nervously. "Could've been."

"Well, when you're fully awake," she says with a wink, "you can clean up the mud in the kitchen."

"Oh." Phil's face drops. "I'm sorry, Mom," he says with sigh. "I wanted to tell you..."

She raises her eyebrow. He tries again. "_Ask for permission_..." She nods her approval as he continues, "But I knew you wouldn't have let me go and I had to."

His mom shakes her head. "I don't condone it, but I do understand."

Phil raises his eyebrows in surprise. "You do?"

She nods and explains, "I had a late night craving for cake." She shrugs. "But your sister beat me to the last piece."

"So you heard us talking?"

She nods again. "I was ready to extend your punishment," she warns.

Phil winces. "How much longer?"

"_However_, I decided against it when I overheard your reason for sneaking out." She smiles warmly as Phil sighs in relief. "Where is Keely going, anyway?"

Phil frowns. "She's already gone by now," he says more to himself than to his mom as he looks down at his lap. He sighs heavily and glances back up. "Hawaii."

"Really?" his mom asks in surprise. "Wow," she says in awe.

He shrugs. "Yeah, her relatives have a vacation home there."

His mom nods. "Hmm." She raises her eyebrow. "And you couldn't wait until she came home?"

Phil shakes his head solemnly. "She won't be back until just before school starts."

"Oh, I see." She gives him a knowing look. "Well, then I suppose what you had to tell her must've been pretty important."

He sighs. "It was...but I never got around to _actually_ saying the words..." He shrugs. "I guess more than anything I just really wanted to see her."

His mom smiles and replies in a nurturing voice, "I think I can understand that." She crosses her arms over her chest and looks down at his partially healed hand resting atop his bed sheet.

"Would this desire to see her be at all related to the real reason behind _that_?"

Phil glances down at his hand and frowns. "Um..."

His mom chuckles softly. "On your behalf, Jamie explained what happened."

"She did?" he asks in disbelief looking up at her.

"Yes. And while I don't agree with the decision you made that night," she says with a smile, "as a woman, I have to admit that I admire you for standing up for her." She sighs. "But next time..."

Phil nods and offers, "Don't go all caveman?"

"Exactly."

He holds up his right hand. "No problem," he says with a grimace. "I think I learned my lesson."

His mom chuckles. "Well, get dressed, ok?" She nods her head towards his door. "You, mister, have got a date with a mop."

Phil nods and laughs to himself as his mom leaves his room. Taking a deep breath, he strips off the covers and drags himself out of bed.

A few minutes later he enters the kitchen with a less than enthusiastic look on his face as he spies the mop leaning up against the wall near the backdoor. As he grudgingly makes his way over to it, the door suddenly swings open.

His dad steps through with a heavy sigh and slowly closes the door behind him. Phil watches as he mutters something unintelligible and kicks at the door without ever actually making contact with it.

He turns around and sees Phil staring at him curiously. "Oh..look who decided to finally join us this _late_ morning."

Phil is little unsure how to respond since he's not quite sure if his dad's joking or not, but then his dad smirks and tosses his tool belt onto the counter.

"Don't worry, son, your mom told me _all _about it."

Phil asks carefully, "You're not mad?"

He shakes his head. "How could I be mad?" He puts his hand to the side of his mouth and whispers. "I did the same thing once."

"For mom," Phil says with a smile.

"Oh no, not her," he replies with a distant look in his eyes and a light laugh.

Phil raises his eyebrow as his dad looks back at him.

"Don't tell your mother."

He adds clearing his throat as his wife enters the kitchen, "Now I don't want to hear about you sneaking out of this house ever again."

Phil nods firmly. "Yes, sir."

His mom rolls her eyes and looks at her husband curiously. "I thought you were in the garage for the day."

He shakes his head and puts his hands on his hips. "I'm calling a family meeting."

Phil glances at his mom with a slightly worried look on his face. She nods her head at him encouragingly. "What's this about, dear?"

"Eww...who tracked in all the mud?" he asks in disgust as he tries to step over the mess.

"Phil," says Pim entering the kitchen without looking at her family as she promptly heads for the refridgerator.

Her dad nods. "Good, now that everyone's present and accounted for..." he says breathing out a puff of air. "The Diffy's need to have a serious discussion."

His family stares at him with blank expressions. He sighs and motions to the table with his hand. "Let's all sit down, huh?"

Slowly, they all comply. Pim's the last one to take a seat. "What's up, Dad?"

Phil nods. "Yeah, you look kind of--"

"Hopeless? Defeated?" he offers.

"That pretty much sums it up," Phil notes.

His mom asks in concern, "What's wrong, dear?"

He leans forward placing his palms flat on the table and looks at his family with a serious face. "The time machine is..." he begins slowly.

Phil winces and mumbles under his breath, "Don't say fixed, don't say fixed."

"Say fixed, say fixed," Pim whispers with her fingers crossed.

"Shot."

The siblings both raise their eyebrows. Their mom replies glancing at her children, "Yes, dear, we're all aware of that."

Her husband shakes his head, "No, no, people. The whole thing is one big piece of highly sophisticated _trash_."

They offer blank stares. He sighs. "Don't you guys get it?"

Still, his family doesn't appear to grasp his point. He rolls his eyes. "I _can_ fix the time engine...most likely," he says slowly. "Or at least get her back up to basic functional capacity..." he says with a shrug before looking at them with a wince.

"But it's gonna take a heck of a lot longer than I thought."

They still don't react. He throws in a more specific bit of information to see if it can do the trick.

"I'm talking _years_ here, people." He adds with a shrug, "Probably."

Pim's eyes widen in horror. "YEARS!"

Phil raises his eyebrow. "Years?"

Their dad nods his head. "Yes, years."

"No way," Pim disagrees as she starts to rise from her chair. "Come on, Dad, grab your belt, we're goin' to turn that trash into treasure!"

Her mom pulls her back down as her dad shakes his head. "Pim, it's not gonna happen."

"I don't accept that," she says crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

Her mom pats her shoulder supportively and looks at her husband. "What does this mean?" she asks carefully.

He sighs and holds his hands up in the air. "It means that we're gonna be here for a long time."

They all take a moment to let that sink in..again. He continues as he sits up straight in his chair, "So, what we need to do is make an important decision about something that's been weighing on my mind for a while now."

This catches their attention as they all look up at him simultaneously.

He folds his hands together on the table. "Are we going to keep biding our time here until that very distant day comes when we can leave?"

"_Or_...do we stay here with the intention of never leaving at all?"

His children stare at him blankly. His wife tilts her head to the side and furrows her brow. "You mean we'd never go home?"

"WHAT!" Pim exclaims.

Her dad gives her a soft nod. "It's ok, Pim." He looks between his wife and son. "And we'd start livin' _entirely_ 21st-century style."

"You mean," Pim says slowly as her eyes widen, "dare I say it?" she asks in horror at the thought.

Phil scoffs. "I'll say it." He looks at his dad with a bit of uncertainty. "Give up everything future-related and just be like a normal present-day family?" He adds carefully, "And...stay here...forever?"

"You hit the nail on the head, Phil."

Pim's mouth drops open as she shakes her head. "But that's, that's..something!" She sighs in frustration and looks over at her mom. "Mom, tell him what it is!" she pleads trying to control her breathing.

Her mom lays her hand on her arm. "Honey, you're hyperventilating," she says calmly.

Phil quickly lifts himself up from his chair. "I'll get a paper sack."

His mom gives him a stern look. "Phil, sit," she says firmly.

His dad shrugs. "So I assume Phil is ok with that proposal," he says looking over at his daughter with a wince. "And Pim is...not." He looks to his wife for help.

"I want whatever's best for the kids," she says sincerely.

Pim laughs bitterly. "I'll tell you what's best for this _kid_," she says looking at her dad with desperation in her voice. "We keep trying to get the heck out of here!"

"Alright," he says with a nod of his head, "that's something to consider." He looks at his son. "Phil?"

"I don't know," he replies slowly as he lowers his eyes to the table. "I mean, for a long time I couldn't wait to get back to my life, but..." He glances back up at his dad. "This is my life too," he says with soft conviction.

His sister throws her hands up in the air. "Ugh!" Don't listen to _him_," she says cutting her eyes over at her brother in disgust. "We all know the reason _he's_ perfectly happy to stay in this idiot century," she scoffs.

Phil glares at her, though he has to admit to himself that she's definitely right about his reason for wanting to stay..the _only_ reason that really matters.

His mom clears her throat to switch gears before things turn ugly. "I understand what Phil's trying to say," she offers. "I've been finding myself easing into this life too." She chuckles. "At first, I thought the simplicity of this place was a bit ridiculous," she says as a smile plays on her face, "but now I honestly enjoy it. I find comfort in it."

She glances lovingly at each member of her family. "I mean, we've spent more quality time together as a family since we've been here then we have during all our years in the future." She shrugs. "I've grown rather fond of this century, and it _does_ feel a lot like home."

"Your mom's got a good point."

Phil smiles at his dad while his sister is much less receptive. She groans and leans her head back as she closes her eyes.

"Dad," she whines looking back at him with a pitiful expression. "_You_ were the one I was counting on to have my back." She gestures at him with her hand. "You've wanted to go _home_," she emphasizes as she cuts her eyes over at her mom, "our _real_ home," she says looking back at her dad, "since day one."

He shrugs. "I know, Pim, but by the time I manage to get the time machine ready for flight, we're gonna have spent a good three, four years here."

Her mom adds, "You'll have so much invested by then, honey."

She casts a doutbful look at her and replies dryly, "Wanna bet?"

Her dad continues, "And living without future technology would make things a lot less crazy around here." He breathes a sigh as he glances around the kitchen. "And we wouldn't have to worry so much about someone like a certain already very suspicious neighbor discovering our little secret," he says in a low voice leaning down closer to the table.

Pim covers her face with her hands and sobs dramatically. Phil rolls his eyes at her. Her mom tries to console her, but Pim knocks her hand away.

She sighs. "Look, I don't think this is a decision we have to make right now." She looks at her husband. "Right?" she asks gesturing to their distraught daughter with a sublte jerk of her head.

He shakes his head. "No, no, of course not."

"Then let's all take some time to think about it," she offers encouragingly.

Pim instantly drops her hands from her face and abruptly stands up without a single tear having been shed.

"I'm done!" She purposefully strides away from the table. "And I'm not staying here!" she shouts with her back turned to her family as she leaves the kitchen.

Her mom glances at Phil expectantly. He just shrugs his shoulders and quietly rises to his feet, pushes his chair in, and exits the room.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Hey."

Pim glares at her brother and crosses her arms over her chest as she turns her body away from him to look out her window.

"Can I come in?"

She doesn't respond so he takes it upon himself to do so without her invitation. "Haven't seen much of you this past week." She continues to ignore him.

Phil gingerly sits at the foot of her bed. He glances at her computer desk and the large menancing emblem hanging on the wall behind it. He can't help but smile at his sister's tireless attempts to 'enslave' the weak-minded inhabitants of this century. Despite her melodramatic, and somewhat absurd, notions, he keeps a special place in his heart meant only for her.

"What?" Pim asks in annoyance making him second guess that.

He sighs. "What are the chances of us having a civil conversation?"

She raises her eyebrow. "That depends."

"On what?" he asks suspiciously.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Is this conversation going to involve you trying to play the _big hero _by convincing me that staying here and _not_ going home _where we belong _is a good idea?"

"Would that be a negative?"

She scoffs and turns her head back to the window. Phil sighs and rises to his feet to move closer to her.

"Well, may I at least ask you one question?" he asks trying to strike a deal in spite of her stubborness.

She cuts her eyes over at him. "There, you did." She turns away again.

He rolls his eyes. "That wasn't my question."

She throws her hands up in the air and faces him with disinterest. "Fine, ask."

"Do you really think going home's going to be so great after being gone for so long?"

Pim puts a hand on her hip and taps her foot firmly against the floor.

Phil adds, "We've already been away a long time. Our lives are not going to be the same as they were when we left." He shrugs. "The lives of the people we knew aren't going to be the same either."

Pim's brow slightly furrows as she thinks about that. Phil notices the small gesture and continues while she seems to at least be starting to see the big picture.

"Add a few years to those changes and chances are we wouldn't even recognize life back home."

She lowers her eyes to the floor. Phil waits for some kind of reaction. After a long pause, she glances back up at him with a rare cautious, worry in her eyes.

"You really think so?" she asks in a small voice.

Phil's a bit taken back by the way she sounds so much like a small, scared child right now. He feels sorry for her.

He replies softly, "I think it's inevitable."

She hangs her head. "I never really thought of that." She looks back up at him. "I guess you're right."

Phil shrugs. "I don't want to be," he offers sympathetically.

Pim sighs. "But I _despise_ this place."

"Do you really? I mean despise is such a strong word," Phil says shaking his head.

"I do," she replies firmly.

He ask carefully, "Why?"

She scoffs. "Didn't you already get your one question?"

He rolls his eyes. "Forget it." He turns to leave and adds under his breath, "I don't even know why I try."

Pim hears that and quickly stops him in his tracks. "Wait."

He slowly turns back to face her as he raises his eyebrows.

She scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest again. "I can't believe I'm gonna do this," she says to herself but as she looks at her brother who is curiously awaiting to see exactly what 'this' is.

"I'm not like you, Phil." She adds to herself in a whisper, "Thank all things holy."

Phil stuffs his hands in his pockets. "What do you mean?"

She frowns. "I'm not praised by our parents, I'm not adored by my teachers, and I'm sure the heck not liked by my peers."

Phil furrows his brow. "I-I don't understand." He asks in confusion, "Are you saying that those things..bother you?"

"I know it's a real _shocker_," she scoffs, "but Pim Diffy does have insecurities," she says lowering her eyes feeling very awkward due to her confession of weakness.

Phil tries to lighten the atmosphere. "Hey," he says waving her off, "I figured there was at least one in there somewhere."

Pim tries to hide her smile as her brother grins. "So...that's why I don't like it here," she admits. "I just don't fit in."

"Pim..no offense," he says carefully, "but you didn't really fit in back home either."

She scoffs. "I did so."

He raises his eyebrow. She concedes, "Ok, fine. So I didn't." She throws her hands up in the air. "Guess I'm just a freak then!"

Phil thinks back to a time when he'd felt the same way about himself. He sighs. "I know it feels that way, but you are not a freak."

She regards him with a fair amount of incredulity. He shrugs. "What? You don't believe that?" He adds teasingly off her unconvinced look, "Not even coming from your brother?"

"My point _is_," she says ignoring him, "I don't have a life here."

He scoffs. "Sure you do."

She shakes her head. "No, that'd be you, my dear brother. You're the one with friends, and party invitations, and good grades, and--"

He interrupts, "And who's managed to lose our parents' trust, and make bad choices, and engage in senseless, self-destructive activities, and land himself in the most trouble he's ever been in his whole life?"

After a beat, he adds, "That the kind of life you're talking about? Is that the kind of life you want for yourself?"

She regards him silently for a moment before smiling in satisfaction. "Huh..well, when you so elegantly put things into _that _perspective..."

Phil rolls his eyes. "Glad I could make you feel better about _you_."

Pim laughs. "I guess you're not so shiny and perfect after all."

"Not in any century, I'm afraid."

She nods. "I guess things really aren't so bad here..."

Phil smiles hopefully. Pim shakes her head. "But that doesn't mean I have to act like that's true."

"Well, coming from you.." he says with a playful smirk, "that little admission alone means a lot."

Pim sighs and shrugs her shoulders. "So, what now?"

"I don't know." He furrows his brow. "What just happened here?"

Pim rolls her eyes. "I think we had a moment."

They look at each and shiver simultaneously.

"Ugh," Pim says shaking herself. "Let's not _ever _do that again."

"Right."

Pim shrugs. "So..is this the part where I go downstairs and tell Mom and Dad that I've changed my mind?"

Phil asks seriously, "Is that what you want to do?"

She glances up at the ceiling in thought. After a few seconds, she throws her hands up in the air. "I reckon!" She moves towards the door pausing long enough to say to him as she walks by, "What difference does it make, anyway?"

Phil glances over at her. She rolls her eyes. "Like Dad's _ever_ gonna fix that hunk of junk."

Her brother watches her as she moves to the door and adds over her shoulder, "Not even with _years_ to do it."

She disappears around the corner. Phil shakes his head at his little sister wondering if she'll always be that way or if today just proved that she might not be as tough as she likes to think.

Either way...one thing is starting to become very clear. The Diffy's are going to make one of the biggest decisions of their lives. And despite the sad feeling in his heart at the thought of perhaps permanently leaving behind his home and his past, Phil smiles to himself.

For some reason, he's not too worried about it. For some reason, he's not afraid of staying here, even if that means forever.

For some reason, he's relieved. For some reason, he's happy.

And that reason is currently the most important thing on his mind.

And the most important thing in his heart.

And she doesn't even know it...

But she will.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Keely!"

Mrs. Diffy's face lights up at the sight of her son's blonde friend on the other side of the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Diffy," she replies trying to hold back the yelp of excitement threatening to burst forth from her lips.

"It's so good to see you," Phil's mom says warmly as she pulls Keely into a friendly hug. "It's been too long."

Moving back from her, she notices the large colorfully decorated gift bag in her hand.

Keely catches her eyeing the sack and holds it up proudly. "I brought gifts for everyone."

Mrs. Diffy smiles. "How nice of you, Keely." She winks and adds, "But Phil's no longer incarcerated."

Keely shakes her head. "Oh no, these aren't bribes."

Nodding her head and placing her hand on Keely's shoulder to usher her into the house, Mrs. Diffy chuckles. "Come on in, sweetie."

Keely doesn't budge; instead, she peers into the house uneasily. "Uh.." She laughs nervously.

Mrs. Diffy raises her eyebrow. "Is there a problem, Keely?"

She shrugs and waves her free hand in the air. "No, there's not a..problem," she says timidly.

"Do you not want to come in?"

Keely winces. "Well..it's not that I don't..want to..I just..." She sighs. "Honestly, Mrs. Diffy..I feel a little awkward being here."

"What do you mean, sweetie?" she ask tenderly.

Keely frowns. "I guess I kinda lost my..." She shrugs sheepishly. "Nerve."

Mrs. Diffy nods understandingly. "You and Phil parted on," she thinks briefly of the right word, "_uncertain_ terms?"

Biting down on her lip, Keely nods shyly. Mrs. Diffy smiles trying to encourage her to not worry so much. "Well, if it helps, I know that he is _ecstatic_ about seeing you."

A smile tugs at the corner of Keely's lips as she nods her head in appreciation and expells a relieved breath.

Mrs. Diffy offers, "Would you prefer I go up and get him for you?"

Keely shakes her head. "No, thanks." She takes a mental breath to reassure herself. "I can do this," she adds quietly.

With a smile and a restrained chuckle, Mrs. Diffy moves aside to allow her to enter. Keely glances around at the familiar scene with a renewed air of confidence within her. She sets her eyes on the stairs.

After a beat, Mrs. Diffy taps her shoulder from behind. Keely turns her head to look at her with slight trepidation.

"Go ahead," she whispers as she gently nudges her towards the staircase.

Keely takes another breath and places her hand on the railing lightly running her fingers across the smooth, slick surface. She slowly raises her right foot and gingerly sets it down on the first step.

Mrs. Diffy watches her with an amused look on her face as she very slowly makes her ascension. With each step taken, Keely's nervousness grows. She wonders why she's apprehensive about seeing him again. Is it because they've been away from each other for a while? Or is it because of the time they last spent together? She's pretty sure it's the second one.

After a long minute or two, Keely finally reaches the top. Immediately she focuses her eyes on the small grouping of photos adorning the wall in the hallway. She flicks her gaze over each one taking in the faces of the family she's come to think of as a part of her own.

She furrows her brow reflecting on how the space on the wall was vacant last time she stood in this very spot. However, realizing she hasn't been here or even inside the Diffy home for nearly six months now, she feels a slight ache in her chest as she stares at the collection.

The fact that a change, albeit an insignificant one, has taken place in her absence leaves an empty feeling in her heart.

As her eyes come to rest upon an oval silver frame in the center of the others, she slowly reaches out her hand to lightly touch the glass. A small smile plays on her lips as she gazes at the happy, innocent face of a much younger, yet very familiar boy.

She wonders what made him grin so widely that day. She wonders if he is as happy now as he appeared to be then. And she wonders if she evokes a similar emotional response in him.

Down the hallway in his bedroom, Phil sits on the floor with his back against the foot of his bed while reading a book. But suddenly, he's no longer caught up in the story as a strange feeling comes over him. A tingling sensation creeps up his spine causing him to shiver. He shakes his head at the odd feeling and tries to return his attention to his book, but the feeling begins to grow into a force he must acknowledge.

He lays his book on the floor next to his out-stretched legs and furrows his brow as he glances around his room trying to pinpoint a tangible reason for the way he feels right now. But he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Yet, something draws his attention towards the door. He pushes himself up off the floor and crosses the short distance to it as if being beckoned. Cracking the door open, he slowly peeks around the frame as a light tightness in his chest causes his heart to flutter with anticipation.

Keely hears a nearly inaudible creak and quickly turns her head in the direction of the noise that has invaded her quiet reverie.

"Hey," Phil says softly slightly in awe of seeing her standing there.

"Hi," Keely replies in much the same state of mind.

After coming back to reality, Phil's face lights up as he quickly spans the distance seperating them. Keely grins and opens her arms more than ready to receive him.

His arms eagerly encircle her waist while unknowingly pinning her gift bag between their bodies. She emits a little giggle as he slightly lifts her off the floor and spins her around once before setting her back down.

Pulling back just far enough to look into her eyes, Phil flashes her a brilliant smile. "Keely," he says simply, but the inflection in his voice is enough to make her knees quiver.

"I'm so happy to see you," she says softly with a shimmer in her eyes from the unexpected, overwhelming emotion she feels upon being in his arms.

Phil's heart beats more quickly in his chest in response as he becomes aware of the exact same feeling coarsing through his entire being.

For several moments, they both remain fixed on each other and absolutely nothing else as they bask in the glow of their long-awaited reunion.

"Ahem."

They turn their heads simultaneously to see Pim standing on the stairs looking up at them with a smirk. "Hello," she says pleasantly to Keely who smiles politely at her as she steps around them and heads to her bedroom.

Keely glances back at Phil in confusion at his sister's attitude towards her. He smiles mysteriously.

"Blondie," Pim mutters before slamming her door shut.

Phil's smile fades as he looks back to Keely with a shrug. She just rolls her eyes. "Maybe we should move this..." she suggests with a nod towards his room.

"Yeah," he agrees dropping his hands from her waist, but taking up her hand and leading her.

He hesitates at the doorway while she walks into the middle of the room. He glances at her with her back turned to him and then quickly to the door debating whether he should close it to allow for extra privacy.

Keely turns back to look at him. "Phil?" she asks curiously.

He stands completely transfixed as the late afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window casts a soft golden glow on her newly tanned skin. Her hair cascades down just past her shoulders in relaxed tresses. Her slightly parted lips draw his attention briefly before his gaze continues to travels the length of her body. His mind greedily absorbs every last detail permanently committing the way she is right now to his memory.

She feels a bit awkward under his intense gaze as the look in his dark eyes steadily increases the beating of her heart. She lowers her chin shyly and glances down at the floor.

The subtle movement shakes Phil from his trance. He softly clears his throat and pushes the door closed before turning back to her. For the first time, he notices the bag she's holding. "What's that?" he ask pointing to it.

Keely eagerly jumps on the opportunity to shift away from more complicated things. "Oh, right." She sets the bag on the floor and pulls out a wreath of pink flowers. "Leis," she says proudly. "For your family."

Phil winces. "Oops."

Keely furrows her brow and glances at the slightly crushed flowers. "Oh." She frowns. "_Smashed_ leis."

She looks at Phil. He offers an apologetic shrug. She sighs and dejectedly drops it back into the sack.

"So..tell me about The Big Island."

Keely's face lights up as she squeals, "It was AMAZING!" Phil grins at her over-exuberance.

"I'm still in awe," she adds staring off into space remembering the magical paradise. After a beat, she squeals again, "And I get to go back next year! Yay!" She claps.

Phil nods. "I'm glad you had a great time."

Keely frowns. "I did get a little homesick, though."

"Aw, did you miss your mommy?" he teases in a childlike voice.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Ha." He smirks. To wipe that look right off his face, Keely adds mysteriously, "Or someone else."

Her plan worked perfectly as his eyes widen instantly, but she pretends not to notice and quickly bends down to the bag and fishes out a small object.

"Here," she says happily as she holds it up to him.

Phil moves closer to examine the contents of her hand. He grins. "Sand."

She tosses the small container to him and reaches into the bag again. Bringing out a orange-sized black rock, she stands back up.

His eyes light up at the sight. "A lava rock!" he exclaims in boyish delight.

Keely rolls her eyes. "Gee, flash a little geology and the boy's four years old again," she jokes.

Phil clears his throat. "I mean..fascinating specimen." He takes the rock from her hand. "Thank you, Miss Teslow."

She nods. "It better be," she says pointing at his rock. "That _specimen_ cost me 10 bucks."

He scoffs. "You _bought_ it?"

"Yeah," she says as excitement creeps back into her voice. "I got it at this really cool surf shop from this really hot guy with this really awesome sun tattoo on his bicep," she says gesturing at her arm.

Phil raises his eyebrow.

"And I said 'that's a great tattoo' and he said 'it's henna' and he asked me if I wanted him to do one for me and I said 'awesome!' and I got a butterfly."

Her hand moves to the waist of her jeans and Phil's eyes widen in horror. "You let some guy draw on your hip!" he practically shouts.

Her hand freezes at her pocket as she stares at him in disbelief at his sudden outburst. However, his semi-jealous, overprotective reaction does make her feel warm inside.

"No," she says after a beat while digging out a peppermint from her pocket.

Phil tightly shuts his eyes in embarrassment and mentally kicks himself for jumping to conclusions in such a manner.

Keely pops the mint into her mouth. "I think I inhaled a little too much saltwater," she says touching her throat. "Scratchy." She smiles at him. "I let some guy draw on my..." she says while bending down and lifting her pant leg high enough to reveal the artwork on her skin. "Ankle."

Phil chuckles nervously. "Heh." He nods. "That's..cool."

Keely rolls her eyes and stands back up. "Hmph."

"So..thanks for the rock," he says holding up his gift to examine it more closely. He scoffs and casts a little smirk at her.

"What?" Keely asks slightly offended by his less than sincere gratitude.

"You got ripped off."

She furrows her brow. "Huh?"

Phil laughs as he tosses the rock up in the air and catches it. "I can't believe you _bought_ a rock." He adds in slight irritation, "From some random guy at some superficial surf shop."

Keely frowns as Phil holds the rock close to his face and taps it. "Is this even real?"

She scoffs. "What? Like I was gonna waste a whole day digging around some old lava bed to find the perfect hunk of hardened magma?"

Phil tilts his head to the side. "You know what magma is?" he asks seriously.

"Ugh!" She throws her hands up in the air. "Yes, Mr-Know-It-All, I do."

"I'm kidding," he says dropping the rock into his shirt pocket and patting it. "I love it."

"I had much less boring things to do, Phil," she explains with a sigh. "Sorry it's not fresh."

He waves her off. "Don't worry about it."

She raises her eyebrow. "So..ever heard of Madame Pele's curse?"

Phil scoffs. "Yeah, it's a myth made to order for really gullible types like..." He motions at her with his hand. "Well, you're a good example," he says with a grin.

Keely narrows her eyes at him. "Oh, don't use sarcasm to hide your fear, Phil."

He rolls his eyes. "Riiight, like I'm afraid of some urban legend fabricated for the sole purpose of scaring tourists into not taking any of the rocks as souvenirs."

Keely sighs in disappointment at his stubborn ability to over-rationalize all the fun right out of things. "Well, you wouldn't have to be worried anyway," she says dejectedly turning away from him.

Phil regards her curiously as she looks back after a beat with a sneaky grin. "Since the curse is only on the _real _rocks," she says slightly maliciously.

His eyes widen and his mouth drops. She smiles innocently. "_Oops_."

Phil rolls his eyes. "Great, I'm the proud owner of a _fake_ lava rock from the world's most active volcano."

Keely laughs. They settle into a comfortable silence, and she glances at his bed. "Do you mind?" she asks moving to it.

He shakes his head and joins her.

She turns to him and folds her hands in her lap. "So, tell me what life in Pickford was like while I was gone."

Phil sighs. "What was it like when you left?"

Keely nods. "Right." She fiddles with the hem of her shirt. "Oh!" she says looking up again. "Your mom mentioned you're not grounded anymore."

He nods. "Yep. I've been a free man for exactly one week."

"So, what have you been up to?" she asks curiously while nonchalantly looking around his room.

He shrugs. "Not much."

"Been hangin' out with Jamie?" she asks as she cuts her eyes over at him.

He shakes his head. "Nah."

Keely furrows her brow and asks carefully, "Why not?"

Phil winces. "Well, let's just say that Jamie's still.." He sighs. "Jamie."

Keely doesn't appear to get his point so he adds, "She's a cool person and we get along great, but our lives are going in completely opposite directions." He shrugs. "Conflict of interests, I suppose."

"Oh." She decides to leave it at that. "So, have you seen Via? She was supposed to come home a couple weeks ago, I think."

"Yeah, she's back."

"Have you been hanging out?"

"Nah. Owen told me." He casts a sideways glance her way. "I'm not sure how I rank on her list right now."

Keely chuckles. "What makes you say that?"

Phil shrugs. "Well, I don't know what kind of spin you've put on things."

She pats his knee tenderly. "You haven't been spun, trust me."

He looks down at her hand and she quickly retracts it.

Phil laughs. Keely raises her eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Well, if it's nothing, then you can tell me."

He shrugs. "It's just..that wouldn't have been awkward before."

Keely furrows her brow. "That what?"

Phil motions between them. "Touching..."

"Oh." She sighs. "Yeah." She scrunches up her nose. "We're kind of dancing around all that, huh?"

He shakes his head. "We're beyond dancing." He sighs. "We've gone straight to utter avoidance."

"What's up with that?" Keely asks in frustration. "We've never had trouble talking."

Phil winces. "I know."

She nods. "But we're different now." Keely asks softly, "Aren't we?"

Thinking back to everything that has happened over the last several months, Phil lowers his head to stare at the floor. Obviously, they are very different than the people they were before. But before what exactly?

"Well," Keely begins as she stands up and looks down at him, "I promised my mom I wouldn't be gone too long." She rolls her eyes. "She's got this welcome home dinner thing planned for the two of us."

Phil chuckles and stands up next to her. Keely adds, "She acts like I've been gone a year."

"She's just not used to you being away from home," he offers. Keely nods. "Yeah, that's probably it."

Phil moves to the door. "I'll uh..walk you down." Keely shakes her head. "It's ok." Phil's a tad disappointed, but it disappears when she grabs him for a quick hug that's over almost before he even knows he's in her arms.

Stepping to the door, she turns back to him with a smile. "It's good to be home."

He grins. "Glad to have you back, Keel." He adds softly, "In more ways than one."

She nods in understanding of his double meaning and thinks that it's good to be back to normal...no, wait. She promised herself on the plane coming home that 'normal' would no longer be a part of her vocabulary. It's good to be back to being the way things are supposed to be. However, even though her friendship with Phil has been revived relatively to its previous state, she knows that they're different than before. There's a dynamic that didn't exist before she nearly destroyed the most important thing in the world to her.

And though she's content to have her best friend back, she's also looking forward to who and what they will become.

"See ya later, Phil."

"Bye," he replies with a wave as she disappears from his sight.

Despite his elation at having Keely in his life again, he sighs with a heavy heart. He knows that they are not exactly who they were before the disaster that has been the last six months of his life. He knows what he feels; he knows what she feels too. He laughs at himself for not being able to tell her and make his move, and he wonders why she can't either. His brain tells him the reason is simple: he and Keely are young, they're friends, and changing into something more is a process filled with uncertainty, confusion, and the inability for two teenagers who have spent the last two years touching each other without any awkward pauses or second guesses to properly confront and express their feelings. And sometimes that process is a long one.

But thinking back to his mother's advice from months ago, he realizes something...a truth. Keely is more than worth waiting for. Her friendship was worth it. And whatever becomes of them is worth it too.

And he'll gladly wait for that..no matter how long it takes. He just never imagined how soon his wait would be over.


	30. Chapter 30

The end is in sight.. :) Thank you all so much for the reviews; I'm at a loss for words. Really. You guys rock!

Chapter 30

"I can't believe school starts next week."

Keely slumps down onto the sofa and crosses her arms over her chest. "This sucks," she pouts.

Phil chuckles. "Come on, Keel." He sits beside her and props his feet up on the coffee table. "It's not the end of the world."

"Hmph."

He laughs again, but she isn't as amused. He decides to change subjects and not further depress her with school related talk. "So, how'd your mom's dinner go last night?"

Keely smiles as her whole mood instantly changes. How she manages to do that never ceases to amaze him. "It was surprisingly really nice." She laughs. "My mom's cooking has never tasted so good."

Phil teases, "Maybe you should go away more often."

"That's a thought," she says slowly tapping her chin with her finger as she thinks about 'other' things that have gotten better since she'd been gone. She smiles inwardly and turns to him. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

He raises his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Keely sighs. "I know that I totally put you down about the whole 'future-gadgets-not-being-fun-anymore-thing' but that was then." She shrugs. "Wanna go on the skyak or something?"

Suddenly, Phil slaps his hand to his forehead. "Ah!"

Keely furrows her brow in concern. "Phil?"

He mentally kicks himself for not remembering to ever mention a _very significant _development as he thinks about all his family's future technology, including the skyak, sealed up tight in the time machine...never to be used again.

"Um..yeah, Keel, that reminds me..." he says slowly. "There's actually something important I need to tell you." He sighs. "I meant to tell you when you got back."

He smacks himself again. "How could I've forgotten!"

"Well, what is it?" she asks rather impatiently. But before he can continue, she quickly holds up her hand. "Wait..this is good, right?" Shaking her head she adds, "'Cause I don't think I can take any bad news right now." She frowns. "We're already having to go back to school."

Phil chuckles softly as Keely looks at him expectantly. "Well?"

He nods. "It's good news." He smiles. "Very good news."

"So what is it then?" she asks anxiously.

With a sly smile he begins, "Well..."

"What!" Keely interrupts unable to take the suspense as she grabs tightly ahold of his arm.

He laughs. "Down girl."

She narrows her eyes at him. He nods. "Ok." He takes a deep breath to deliver the big news. "We're staying."

For a beat, Keely doesn't respond as she just stares at him without any expression on her face. He bites down on his lip thinking that perhaps he somehow wasn't clear enough.

He repeats more slowly, "We are staying."

He gives her a moment to react, but she doesn't move a muscle.

"_Here_," he offers hoping to get the point across to her, but she remains as still as a statue.

He sighs. "Keely..my family is staying in Pickford forever." He places his hand on her knee and gives it a little shake. "We're not going back to the future."

He leans in closer to her and peers into her face. "Can..you..hear..me?" he asks very slowly.

Finally she blinks. "You're...st-staying?" she asks in disbelief.

He grins. "Yes."

Suddenly, she shrieks and throws herself at him burying her face into his neck. Phil nearly falls over at the impact.

"I take it you're ok with that?" he says with a laugh.

She pulls back and smiles the brightest smile he's ever seen. "This is AWESOME!" she squeals and places her hand over her erratically beating heart. "This is..." She looks into his eyes. "The best news I've ever heard," she says much more calmly.

Phil's face lights up with joy. Keely asks in awe, "So when did all this happen?"

"Well, my dad brought it up actually the morning you left for Hawaii." He nods as he continues. "Long story short, fixing the time machine could take years, and my parents figured we'd have so much invested in our present lives by then and we'd have missed out on so much in our future lives..." He shrugs. "So staying here just seemed like the thing to do."

"But what about all your future gadgets and stuff?" she asks curiously.

"Packed up and stored away for good in the time machine." He grins. "Or as we like to refer to as the 'Diffy Family RV'.

Keely laughs. "Wow...I can't believe you guys are staying here." She sighs in content and relief, but then turns to Phil with a worried look. "Aren't you all going to miss your home, though?"

Phil nods. "Of course. We already do." He shrugs. "It's just that we've all grown to love this place..." He glances around the living room. "This _is_ home."

He looks back at her with a lopsided smile. "Home's where the heart is, right?"

She nods believing that more than anything. "Absolutely." She grins and grabs him again in another hug. "Yay!"

Phil rolls his eyes as she pulls back and holds up her hand. "I promise that was the last time."

He scoffs playfully, "Oh yeah, no more hugs, please."

Keely smiles and shyly lowers her eyes as Phil stifles his laughter and stands up. "Well, so we can't use any future technology..."

She looks up at him as he finishes with a wink, "Doesn't mean we still can't have fun."

"What do you have in mind?" she asks eagerly as she stands up next to him.

He glances upwards and rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know..." He looks back at her. "I got to start getting used to doing things the present-day way all the time so..." He smiles. "Teach me fun, 21st-century-girl."

Keely's eyes light up. "I can do that." She grabs his hand and excitedly pulls him to the front door.

"Where're we going? What're we going to do?" he asks as she rushes him along.

She glances over her shoulder with a mysterious smile. "You'll see."

He doesn't really care where they go or what they do. He's going to be with her, and he's going to be with her for a long time to come. And where she leads, he'll gladly follow.

However, some time later, Phil finds himself standing just inside the mall entrance with a bored look on his face. Keely furrows her brow. "What's wrong, Phil?"

He replies unemotionally, "You..brought..me..to..the..mall."

She shrugs. "So?"

He glances over at her unenthusiastically. "Is this really all there is to do in this century?" He glances over at a group of giggling teenage girls inundated with shopping bags as they pass by them. He rolls his eyes and turns back to Keely. "I always thought this was just your favorite place."

Keely laughs. "It _is_ my favorite place, Phil."

He raises his eyebrow and looks up ahead at the long string of stores. "And this is fun," he states dryly.

"Well, if you'd managed to sneak the virtu-goggles from your dad before he locked them up in the time ma--"

Phil holds up his hand and interrupts, "RV."

Keely rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah," she continues, "anyway, we could be in a fabulous virtual mall with more than ten choices in the food court."

He leans his head back in defeat. "You are so difficult to please, woman."

She lightly smacks his arm. "And don't you forget it," she says firmly before walking off.

Phil watches her for a beat with a smile on his face until she spins back around to face him. "Well, come on, the _fun's_ this way," she says pointing ahead of them.

He stifles a chuckle at her and promptly obeys her command. As they walk along, Keely spies one of her favorite stores and pulls him by the arm into it.

He glances around at the many shelves lined with a plethora of girl things that he can't even begin to imagine what they are and what they are used for. Keely stops at the lip gloss section and eagerly picks through the multitude of colors.

"Uh..Keel," he says slowly. "No, offense..but this kind of seems like the thing to do with a _girl_ friend.." She keeps sifting through the assortment. He sighs. "You know, like Via maybe."

After a beat, she looks at him. "Did you say something?"

He rolls his eyes. "Nevermind." He adds curiously, "By the way..why aren't you with Via today?" He shrugs. "I figured you two would be rejoined at the hip," he jokes.

Keely shakes her head with a smile. "I called her last night to catch up."

Phil raises his eyebrow. "Yeah..but don't you want to hang out with her? I mean, you guys haven't seen each other all summer."

"We'll hang." She turns her attention back to the shelf. "But I wanted to hang out with you today."

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips. Keely adds while inspecting the object in her hand, "Is that ok?"

Phil nods his head even though she's not looking at him. "Yeah, that's..very ok," he replies softly.

Keely smiles to herself and holds up the pinkish tube in her hand. "Ooh..I bet this is good." She pops the cap off and sniffs it as her eyes close in appreciation. "Oh yeah," she says holding it under Phil's nose.

He swats it away. "I don't want to smell it," he says with disgust.

Keely scoffs. "Phil, it's _only_ lip gloss." She waves it front of his face. "See..it's not gonna give you girl cooties, I swear," she says sarcastically.

He smirks. "I know that, thank you."

"Then smell it," she says holding it to his nose again.

He sniffs. "Yeah, that's some great smelling, uh..lip..stuff."

She takes another whiff. "Mmm." She recaps the tube. "I bet it tastes even better," she says admiring her latest find.

Phil raises his eyebrows. "It has a taste too?"

Keely scoffs and points at the sign above the shelf that reads 'Try one of over 30 flavors'. He shrugs. "Oh." He looks back at Keely. "So, what does it taste like then?"

She grabs another tube off the shelf, one that hasn't been previously opened and pops the seal. "Like it smells," she says after rolling some on and giving her lips a smack. "Strawberry and bananas." She holds it out to him. "Want some?"

He shakes his head. "No, I don't want some," he says looking at her like she's lost her mind.

She shrugs and slowly moves off down the aisle. "I'll get it on those lips someday," she says nonchalantly over her shoulder. "One way or another."

For a brief moment, the meaning behind her words doesn't register, but when it does..Phil's eyes nearly spring out of their sockets.

Keely glances back at him quickly before turning around and smiling in self-satisfaction at having earned such a response. She feels a little tingle crawl up her spine at her overt suggestiveness and her ability to render him shocked and speechless.

She turns back to him with a straight face. "Coming?"

He blinks slowly and softly clears his throat. "Uh huh."

She nods and tries desperately not to crack up as he stumbles the slightest bit over his own feet.

"Heh."

Smiling sheepishly, he steps up next to her. "So..what comes after the _thrill_ that has been flavored lip products?"

"Let's go check out the aromatherapy lotions!" she says excitedly as she pulls him along before he can protest.

Of course...he never had such an intention anyway.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Ugh!"

The early morning sunlight spills into the kitchen as the Diffy's start their day. Dropping her cereal bowl into the sink, Pim turns to her mom with a depressed look on her face.

"I guess I have nothing left to do but get my bag," she says solemnly as she slowly moves across the kitchen floor dragging her feet.

As she walks by, her mom gives her a pat on the head. "Oh, poor baby," she says trying to be sympathetic to her daughter's obvious emotional trauma.

Phil enters the kitchen with a grin and a bounce in his step. Pim narrows her eyes at him. He ignores her and happily replies, "Good morning, family."

His mom raises her eyebrow while his dad, sitting at the table with the newspaper, smiles at his son. "Now see there, Pim," he says turning to his daughter. "That's the attitude to have."

Pim scoffs. "Please, Dad." She eyes her brother with disgust. "Dorks like him live for this day."

Phil folds his hands over his heart. "Oh, is little Pim nervous about her first day of high school?"

"Yeah right." She stands up straight and raises her chin confidently. "I'm going to eat those pathetic little small-brained weaklings for lunch."

As she walks out of the kitchen with the determination of a mad scientist, Phil chuckles to himself.

His mom tilts her head to the side and furrows her brow. "She's joking, isn't she?"

Phil shrugs. "I better get going."

His dad wiggles his eyebrows at him. "You wouldn't be escorting a particular young lady to school, would you?"

Grinning like a fool, Phil nods his head. "Yep."

His dad smiles as his mom kisses the top of his head. "Have a good day, honey."

With that very intention, Phil excitedly rushes out of the house. In his haste, he fails to notice Keely standing at the bottom of the front steps. She clears her throat as he slips on his backpack.

"Hey," he says surprised to find her there. "I was just coming over," he adds pointing in the general direction of her house.

She furrows her brow. "Why?"

"To walk you to school," he says slowly.

Keely shakes her head. "But I always come get you to walk to school."

"Oh, yeah." He steps down off the porch. "But I figured we'd try something new, you know..for a new year."

She shrugs her indifference. "Hey!" she says in a perky voice. "Know what else could be new this year?" she asks nudging his side with her elbow.

Phil glances up at the sky in thought. "Um.._you_ do _my_ homework?"

"Very funny," she replies dryly.

He laughs. "What else?"

"I'm thinkin'...we _drive_ to school," she says pointing her finger at him while nodding her head.

Phil scoffs. "Yeah, except that would require two things we are in short supply of at this point in our lives."

Keely tilts her head to the side and furrows her brow. "Like what?"

He raises his eyebrows not quite believing she's serious..but on second thought, he's not really surprised at all. "Like a..driver's license and a vehicle?"

"Oh." She nods. "Those could help."

He clicks his tongue and heads to the sidewalk leaving her to ponder things for a moment before hurrying to join him.

By the time they arrive at H.G. Wells Junior/Senior High School, the halls are already packed full of students leaning against their lockers with depressed faces, new students wandering around with lost faces, and even a few students with smiling faces.

Keely groans as she sets her eyes on her locker. "Yuck."

Phil smiles and pats her shoulder supportively. "Not 'yuck'.." he says backing away from her to his own locker a few rows down, "_luck_," he says with a grin. "As in good."

She rolls her eyes as he turns around and leaves. Smiling to herself as she opens her locker, a familiar and welcoming voice sounds next to her.

"Keely," Via says pleasantly.

She grins. "V!"

Via smiles. "You certainly are in a good mood on this first morning of school."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "Not really." She narrows her eyes suspiciously at her friend's smirk. "What?"

"It wouldn't have anything to do with what a certain brown-eyed boy said to you just now, would it?" she asks with a smile.

Keely scoffs. "Nooo." She dumps her purse into her locker and shuts the door as she turns back to Via.

"What _did_ he say, anyway?" Via asks curiously.

Shaking her head, Keely starts to make her way to her next class. "Better get in there, you know. Tardiness on the first day is _not_ a good impression."

Via laughs lightly and follows her down the hallway.

At the other end of the hall, a hand taps Phil on his shoulder. He turns around to see Jamie smiling at him.

"What's up, Phil?"

He smiles back. "Hey, Jamie."

She sticks her tongue out as if her mouth has been invaded by an offensive taste. "Don't you just wish you were anywhere else but here?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I kind of enjoy the learning environment."

She bursts out laughing as she grabs her stomach. "Oh, that's," she says in between breaths, "that's classic." She sighs. "You are _too_ much, Phil."

He raises his eyebrow at her, but she ignores him as she glances around them with a confused look on her face. "Where's she at?"

Phil looks from side to side and asks, "Who?"

Jamie shakes her head. "Keely, maybe?"

He points down the hallway. "Her class is that way."

She laughs. "No, no, no. You're missin' the point." She asks again with a heavy emphasis attached to her words, "_Where is Keely_?"

Phil holds out his hands. "I'm not following you, Jamie. Give me a little more to go on here."

She sighs. "Shouldn't you two be walkin' the halls of H.G. Wells holdin' hands or somethin' by now?" she asks with a slightly bored tone to her voice.

A laugh immediately escapes him. "What?"

"Oh, please, Phil." She sets her hand on her hip shifting her weight onto her left leg. "You know what I mean."

He really does, but he's not going into that with her right now. "I got to get to class, Jamie." He smiles and walks off. "See you around."

She throws her hands up in the air. "Don't leave me hangin' like that!" she calls out to his retreating form.

Fortunately, lunch hour comes soon. Keely opts to not get a tray like the rest of her friends, and instead, chooses to munch on some potato chips at an outdoor table outside the cafeteria. As she waits for her group to join her, she catches a dark-haired guy standing nearby watching her. He quickly averts his gaze as soon as she looks at him.

She doesn't think much of it until she looks back that direction a minute later and finds him stepping up to her table.

"Hey there," he says politely with a friendly smile.

Keely doesn't recognize him. "Um, hi."

He chuckles. "I remember you from second period."

She nods. "Oh, yeah. That was super fun wasn't it?" she jokes.

He laughs. "Best 50 minutes of my life."

"Oh no," she replies shaking her head, "I'm sure tomorrow will blow today right out of the water."

A dazzling smile appears on his face and Keely is surprised to feel a light flutter in her chest. She disregards the feeling and asks, "So are you new here?"

He nods. "Just moved from Chicago last week."

"Beantown, huh?"

He furrows his brow. "Uh..that's actually..Boston."

An embarrassed flush rises up her neck to her face. "Oh," she says meekly.

He smiles and holds out his hand. "I'm David."

"Keely," she replies shaking it.

"Well.." he says looking down at the table, "I'll leave you alone."

Keely stops him as he turns away. "You're welcome to sit if you'd like to." She gestures at the cafeteria. "My friends should be here any minute, but they won't mind if you join us." Immediately she wonders why she so suddenly decided to offer him the invitation. She mentally shrugs assured that she's only being nice to him. Right?

He smiles. "Really?"

She nods. "Please," she says grabbing up her notebook from the chair next to her so he can sit.

Without hesitation, he seats himself. "Thanks."

"No problem." She smiles. "I know how it can be..first day and all." After a beat, she shakes her head. "Wait, no I don't." She glances over at him. "I don't know why I said that..I've never actually been the new kid."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "You've been here your whole life?"

She nods. "Yep, a whole 16 years and counting."

He chuckles. "Wow. I didn't figure you for a native."

Keely raises her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He gazes at her with his soft green eyes. "Well, it's just that you're so much more beautiful than the other girls I've seen here."

Her eyes widen and her mouth goes dry. He smiles at her and dips his chin shyly. Just then three weary teenagers walk up to the table.

"We've got to do something about this lunch situation," Via sighs as she plops down onto a chair. "I can't wait in that line like that everyday."

Owen sits next to her and grabs up his already half-eaten subsandwich. "Totally."

Phil glances at the two of them as he remains standing holding his tray with a slightly confused look on his face. He wonders why they haven't noticed the stranger sitting next to Keely. His mind tells him it's probably because they're much less sensitive to the fact that a male has apparently taken an interest in their blonde friend. He prompty tells his mind to be quiet.

Keely glances up at him. "Phil?"

He smiles and sits in the chair on the other side of her as Via looks up and finally notices the unfamiliar face. "Hello."

Keely gestures at him with her hand. "You guys, this is David."

Via smiles politely at him before cutting her eyes over at Keely. Owen mumbles around his mouthful of bread, "Hey dude."

Phil glances over at him and nods. "Hey."

"And this is Via, Owen, and Phil," she says pointing at each of her friends.

"Nice to meet you all," David replies.

Via stops looking at Keely and turns her attention to him. "So, how is it you know Keely?"

Phil wonders the exact same thing and eagerly awaits this _David's_ answer to that question.

He shrugs. "We've only just met," he says giving Keely a very subtle wink.

Phil narrows his eyes at the black-haired guy _not-so-subtly _admiring his Keely. He shakes his head. Not _his_ Keely. His _friend _Keely. That's what he meant. He glances back and notices how a rosy tint has creeped into her cheeks. He nearly chokes on his own saliva.

Keely glances at him with a worried expression. "You ok, Phil?"

He nods. "Just a, uh, I'm fine," he says looking down at the table mentally berating himself.

Via eyes him suspiciously and asks slowly turning to David, "Where are you from?"

"Chicago," he says giving Keely another little smile, which she shyly returns.

Phil furrows his brow wondering what the heck is going on here. It's almost as if they're sharing a secret or an inside joke...but how is that possible when they don't even know each other?

As David and Via begin a conversation about their experiences enrolling in a new school and moving to a new town, Phil periodically sneaks glances at Keely who is completely zoned out on the guy sitting next to her. She smiles and giggles at all the appropriate times and Phil can't help but feel that old familiar burning jealousy start to run through his veins.

Trying to keep himself in check, he chooses to ignore all three of them as he strikes up a conversation with Owen about whatever happens to come to mind...and with Owen that usually means one thing. Girls. Luckily, the lunch hour is over quickly and so is his torment.

As the bell rings, Owen and Via excuse themselves to dump their trays, but Phil remains with his eyes on the guy overtly flirting with the girl sitting in between them.

Keely glances over at Phil. "Aren't you going to empty that tray?"

He looks down at the object in question. "Uh.." He looks back at her. "Aren't you going to go to class?"

"I've got some time." She points across the way. "I'm just over there."

Phil nods. "Oh, ok." He stands up slowly. "Then I guess..I'll go..yeah," he says picking up his tray.

David nods his head at him. "Good to meet you, Phil."

He returns the gesture. "You too," he says with as much conviction as he can muster.

Keely smiles and waves. "See ya sixth period."

Phil gives her a small half-smile. "Uh huh." He stands there for a beat as they look at him expectantly before he reluctantly leaves them alone.

His sudden strange behavior is not lost on Keely as she watches him walk away with a curious and confused look on her face. She wonders if he's...

David draws her from her thoughts. "Walk you to class?"

Keely regards him in surprise momentarily; however, she finds herself liking the idea of him escorting her to class.

"Sure," she replies gathering her things.

He smiles and takes up residence close, maybe a little too close for mere acquaintances, by her side as they walk into the building unaware of the person watching them from a distance with disappointment in his dark eyes.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"Phil, phone call."

He looks up from his school books on his desk. "Who is it?"

"Jamie," his mom replies before turning to leave his bedroom doorway.

Phil raises his eyebrow. "It's ok if I talk to her, right?" he asks cautiously not really sure exactly where his mom stands on the whole Jamie-issue.

She pops her head back around the door frame. "It's fine, Phil," she says with a smile.

He nods and moves to answer the phone with a curious look on his face about why she would be calling him.

"Hello."

"Hey, Phil. What's up?"

He walks back over to his desk and sits down. "Just working on some homework."

She sighs. "I know..first day homework is so _unfair_." She scoffs. "They should give us some time to adjust before just throwing it all in our faces like that."

Phil smiles. "Is there a reason why you called, Jamie?"

"I gotta have a reason?"

"You usually do."

She sighs. "Ok, I got a question for ya."

He quickly replies, "If this is about a party..."

She interrupts with a laugh. "No, no, no. No more parties for you, Phil." She laughs again. "This is about a girl."

"You're having girl problems?" he jokes.

"Ever the comedian."

"I try."

She scoffs. "I'm talkin' about _your_ girl problems."

He laughs. "I don't have a girl problem."

"Sure you do, Phil. You're problem is that you don't yet have a girl."

He frowns. "I'm not looking for one."

"Apparently not."

He furrows his brow. "What does that mean?"

"Phil.." she begins slowly. "Why the hell aren't you and Keely dating?" she exclaims exasperatedly.

He rolls his eyes. "Figures."

"Well?"

He thinks about that for a long moment. He's certainly asked himself that same quesiton a million times, but each time leaves him without any definite answer. While Keely was away, he always thought that they'd settle things as soon as she returned, but they didn't. And he's not sure why. Though, he's got a nagging suspicion it has something to do with the fact that he's completely terrified of confronting her with his true feelings. He's fairly certain that she already knows, but actually saying the words and acting on them is an entirely different story.

Jamie interrupts his thoughts. "Phil?"

He shakes his head and replies after a beat, "I don't know."

She scoffs. "You don't know.

He shrugs. "I got an idea, but..."

"What's that? You're a big chicken, maybe?"

He winces. "That's the general idea, yeah."

She laughs. "Phil, you have to tell her."

"What's it to you anyway?" he asks defensively.

"Hey, don't take out your pent up frustrations on me."

He sighs. "Sorry."

"Listen, Phil, I just want you to be the happiest little Phil you can be." He rolls his eyes as she laughs. "And I know that Keely is the key to that happiness."

He silently agrees. "But...it's not as easy as it sounds, Jamie."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because Keely and I are friends, and we've been _best friends_, and we can't just say 'oh, let's be boyfriend and girlfriend' and start making out."

Jamie laughs hysterically. Phil rolls his eyes and waits for her to stop. Finally, she does. "Phil.." she says with another chuckle, "why _can't_ you do that?"

He scoffs. "Right, nevermind." He adds sarcastically, "Of course I can do that."

"Now that's the spirit!"

He fights to supress his laughter and let her know that he's actually rather amused by her antics.

Jamie says seriously, "Really though, Phil..you need to do somethin' and do it quickly 'cause you never know..Keely just might get tired of waiting for you to grow a pair and...move on."

The notion strikes Phil in a alarming way as he thinks about what occurred at lunch today. Would Keely really do that? Is she already in the process? His brain frantically tries to answer the dozens of uncertainties buzzing around in his head. He takes a deep breath.

"Jamie, can I ask you a question?" he says cautiously.

She replies without hesitation, "Yeah."

He clears his throat. "I need some..female advice."

She chuckles softly. "Go on."

"Do girls..flirt with guys..when they supposedly already have feelings for someone?" he asks carefully.

After a beat Jamie asks, "You mean, are we guilty of the typical guy-thing?"

He frowns. "Guys don't do that..do we?"

She sighs. "Well, most of 'em."

"So.."

"I guess girls are just as capable." She adds after a beat, "I've done somethin' similar before." She asks suspiciously, "Why?"

Phil sighs. "I was just wondering."

Jamie scoffs playfully. "Keely's been flirting with some guy, huh?"

"Uh huh."

Jamie laughs lightly. "I wouldn't worry to much about it, Phil."

He furrows his brow. "But you just said--"

"I know what I just said, but I'm sure Keely's not actually going to get tired of waiting on you and move on."

Phil isn't very convinced. Jamie asks in his silence, "So, are you going to talk to her like you were supposed to a long time ago?"

He nods his head firmly. "I am," he says confidently.

Jamie replies equally as firm, "Good deal. You go get her, boy."

Phil rolls his eyes as she laughs at his expense..again.

"Thanks, Jamie."

"You're welcome, Phil."

Meanwhile, Keely is about to have a conversation of her own with Via about the exact same thing.

"Well, since you're not going to bring it up..." Via says as she drops her magazine onto the bed and sets her eyes on Keely, "I will."

Keely looks up from her own magazine. "What?" she asks curiously.

"What was that all about today?" Via asks pointedly.

"What was all what about?" Keely replies with a shrug.

Via scoffs. "Don't play dumb, Keely."

She furrows her brow. "I'm really not."

"Fine," Via says with a sigh. "I'll say it since you're obviously too afraid to admit it."

Keely crosses her arms over her chest defensively and leans back against her headboard. "Excuse me?"

Via ignore her. "You were totally making eyes at the new guy."

Keely quickly dismisses her with a laugh. "Uh huh, sure, V."

Via raises her eyebrow. "You're denying it?"

She shrugs. "What does that really mean, anyway? I was _looking_ at him, yes."

Shaking her head, Via explains, "It means you were flirting." She adds with a smirk, "And you were enjoying yourself."

Keely raises her eyebrows. "Are you crazy?" She scoffs. "That's ridiculous."

"I agree since I thought you had feelings for Phil," Via says seriously.

Keely's face drops. "I do," she replies honestly.

Via raises her eyebrow. "Then why were you flirting with some other guy?"

Still not really admitting to herself that she was even flirting in the first place, Keely ponders her question regardless. Why was she interested in David when she has feelings for Phil?

Via rolls her eyes. "You know something, Keely, this thing between you and Phil needs to be resolved before someone ends up getting hurt."

Keely frowns. "You really think that could happen?"

Via nods. "I'm pretty sure Phil was privy to your little interaction with David and to the implications behind it."

"But I wasn't trying to hurt him," she says shaking her head.

"Well, we're not always intentional in our actions," Via offers.

Keely furrows her brow and looks down at her lap. Via sighs. "Keely, listen to me, you and Phil have been running so many circles around each other that _I'm_ getting dizzy." She adds sympathetically, "I think you two need to stop playing these useless mind games and just be honest for once."

She's not offended in the slightest bit because she knows without a doubt that what Via has said is true. She and Phil need to have a talk..._the_ talk.

Glancing up through her lashes, she nods her head. "You're right, V." She lifts her chin and expells a long breath. "I'm going to end this."

Via smiles. "When?"

Keely winces. "Do I have to right now?"

Via laughs. "There's no time like the present."

She mutters, "Yeah."

Sliding off the bed and walking to the door, Via replies, "I'll let you get down to business then."

Keely looks at her doubtfully as Via chuckles. "You'll be fine, Keely."

She nods though not as sure of that as her friends seems to be. Via adds, "Call me later tonight, ok?"

She waves and disappears behind the door as Keely groans and falls back onto her pillows shutting her eyes trying to delay the inevitable as long as possible.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Hey."

Phil smiles as he sees Keely standing before him on the sidewalk.

"Hey," she says furrowing her brow. "I was just on my way to see you."

Phil nods. "Me too."

Keely chuckles. "What're the odds of that?"

Phil steps closer to her and shrugs. "I guess that depends on whether we were coming to see each other for the same reason."

Her eyes flicker to the cement at her feet. "Yeah." She says looking back up at him, "I guess it does."

He regards her silently for a moment before gesturing over his shoulder. "Well, since we're closer to my place..want to..?"

She nods as they begin walking down the sidewalk the short distance to Phil's house. They remain silent on the way; only sneaking glances at each other when they think the other one isn't looking. After Keely politely acknowledges his mom and dad, they make their way upstairs to his bedroom.

Keely slowly steps into the room as Phil gently pushes the door shut behind them. He clears his throat and motions to the chair at his desk.

"You want to sit?"

Keely looks at the chair with a blank expression.

"Keel?"

She blinks and smiles at him. "Yeah, thanks," she replies taking the offered seat while Phil sits at the foot of his bed.

"I guess we need to talk about what happened today," Keely begins carefully.

Phil nods. "Ok." He waits for her to continue, but she doesn't appear to have anything to add to that statement so he decides to start things off. "Do you...like that guy?" he asks cautiously with a hint of worry in his voice.

Keely furrows her brow. "Huh?" she asks wondering where that question came from and exactly who 'that guy' refers to.

Phil sighs. "Well, you were flirting with him so I just--"

She quickly interrupts him as realization dawns upon her. "That's not what I meant..wait a minute." She shakes her head. "I wasn't flirting with him, ok?" She scoffs. "And I'm beginning to think you people don't even know what _real_ flirting is."

Clearly confused by that last comment, Phil shakes his head. "You people?"

Keely ignores him. "You think I was flirting?"

He scoffs. "Well, yeah."

She asks in disbelief. "Are you _mad_ at me?"

"Why would I be mad? I just don't understand why you were doing it," he says growing a tad defensive.

"So what if I was, huh? It's my business, not yours."

Phil's a little hurt by her words but tries not to show it. "Well, I thought it was a little uncalled for, don't you think?"

She crosses her arms over her chest. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, we _were_ all sitting _right _there."

Keely laughs bitterly. "Well, I don't think Via and Owen were as offended as you apparently were." She adds before he can respond, "Besides, I was talking about us talking about what happened today as in why you gave me the cold shoulder all afternoon."

Phil furrows his brow. "What?" he asks in confusion.

She ignores him and throws her hands up in the air. "You can't just get mad every time another guy takes an interest in me."

He raises his eyebrows. "Oh, is that what you think? I'm mad at you because some guy thinks you're..." he says waving his hands in the air trying to think of the right word, "_cute_?"

"Well, aren't you?"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not mad," he says in frustration. "I never was!" he nearly shouts.

Keely casts him a doubtful look. He explains sarcastically, "I just never really could get in a word after you and what's-his-name became such good buddies."

She scoffs. "Whatever, Phil." She points a finger at him. "I was only trying to be nice to him." She shrugs. "Would you have preferred me telling him to get lost?"

He nods eagerly. "Yes."

She narrows her eyes at him. "I think we're straying from what's really going on here."

Phil smirks. "And what's that, Keely?"

"You're jealous," she states evenly. His face drops as she demands sternly, "And I want you to tell me why."

He slumps his shoulders in defeat. "Why do you think?"

Keely shakes her head. "No, I don't want to _think_, I want you to _tell_ me."

Phil nervously glances around his room before shrugging and setting his gaze on her again. "First, you tell me why you were flirting with that guy?"

Throwing her head back, Keely sighs, "Fine." She looks back at him. "For the sake of argument..let's say I _was_ flirting with him.." She shrugs. "I guess I just...wanted to."

Off his horrified look, she adds, "But I so-called 'flirt' with guys every now and then, and it doesn't mean anything at all."

He hangs his head, and she can't help but feel a little guilty for it. "Look, Phil," she begins slowly. "I admit that I did enjoy the attention, and I did want to return that attention to a degree, but..."

She slowly rises to her feet and steps closer to him. "It didn't mean anything to me." He glances up at her quickly before averting his gaze back to the floor. "So I took a slight interest in David..."

She steps a little bit closer and adds softly, "I have no desire to pursue that interest." She wants to add 'because of you' but the words never form.

Phil mentally sighs in relief and decides the time has come to finally throw it all out on the table; he has to settle this before he really does lose his chance. He lifts his head to look at her, but she's fixed on some inparticular point in space. He waits a few seconds for her to face him before he speaks.

"Alright," he breathes out heavily. "I have to do this before next time your desires are different," he says quietly more to himself than to her. Keely furrows her brow in confusion, but he continues. "Keely..." he begins carefully, "I..."

Her mind is filled with all kinds of words he might say to her.

"I'm thrilled that you are here," he says slowly. "In spite of everything our friendship has managed to survive..."

He pauses to gather his thoughts. Keely lowers her eyes to the floor afraid this is leading in the opposite direction of where she'd spent the last month hoping for.

Catching her reaction, Phil quickly adds, "And that means the world to me."

She nods without looking up to meet his eyes. He desperately wants to make her understand, but he's having trouble getting the message to himself.

"And I know I promised you we would be friends...but..."

Glancing at him timidly, Keely unintentionally holds her breath waiting for him to finish.

He wants to look away, but he finds himself captivated by the swirl of emotions in her eyes. Ironically, a burst of courage and confidence shoots through him at the sight of the uncertainty in her face.

"Friendship isn't enough for me anymore," he says softly, but with fierce conviction in his eyes. "I guess it hasn't been for a while now."

Her heart nearly explodes in her chest as his powerful words shatter every last trace of apprehension surrounding it. Her eyes shine with joy and she has to consciously hold herself back from shouting out that joy for all the world to hear.

A smile spreads across his face as the heavy burden he's been carrying for so long is finally lifted and the wait is finally over. And if the absolute perfect happiness he feels right now is any indication, then the wait for her has been definitely worthwhile.

Keely smirks. "Ha!"

Upon not hearing what he'd hoped to hear from her after confessing his true feelings, Phil's heart sinks to his stomach. "Are you.." He shakes his head. "Did you.."

"I knew it!" she exclaims to herself as Phil watches her in horrified disbelief and utter confusion.

"Knew what exactly?" He raises his eyebrow. "Keely, do you get what I just said?"

She laughs. "Yeah, Phil, I got it."

He furrows his brow and asks with a hint of disappointment in his quiet voice, "And 'ha, I knew it!' is all you've got to say?"

She shakes her head and smiles. "I just meant that I knew you liked me." She adds with a frown, "You know, _liked me _liked me."

Phil scoffs. "Well, I'd hope so."

"Sorry..." She winces. "I could've been a little more sensitive in my reaction," she says expelling a deep breath, "but I just really had to get that off my chest."

"Ok..." he slowly replies.

Hooking her thumbs on her belt loops, Keely asks with a shrug, "So...where do we go from here?"

Positive of exactly where they should go from here, Phil, without hesitation, stands up and moves to her to gently cup her cheek in his hand while gazing deeply into her eyes.

Her pulse quickens and she swallows nervously while a flush spreads from her neck to her face. She unwittingly moistens her lips and breathes out a shallow puff of air.

Phil drops his gaze to her lips and her eyes immediately flutter shut. Closing the small gap between them, he lets his own eyelids fall and lightly touches his lips to hers.

For a few seconds, the world and time cease to exist; the only thing either of them know is the warmth of love's first kiss.

To her disappointment, he withdraws contact and pulls back just enough to look into her eyes again. "Is that a good place to start?" he asks in a whisper.

Keely slowly opens her eyes and numbly nods her head. "Yeah," she breathes, "it's good."

Phil smiles and starts to lean away, but Keely quickly grabs him by the shirt collar with both hands and eagerily pulls him back to her as his eyes widen in surprise.

"But it can be _great_," she says capturing his lips with hers in a deeper kiss.

A low chuckle rumbles in his chest as he happily agrees to help prove exactly that by sliding his arms around her waist to hold her against him. After a very long minute, Keely drops her grip on his shirt and leans back. Phil reluctantly withdraws his hands from her waist and raises his eyebrow as she ducks her head shyly at her bold move.

"Well..you were right about that," he sighs contentedly as his brain tries to wrap itself around the fact that he just experienced a mind-blowing, and strangely enough also a very comfortable and completely unawkward, kiss with his best friend...finally.

Keely shrugs slightly and glances towards his window where the sunlight has faded considerably since she arrived. Her mind is reeling with the aftershock of having just had the best kiss of her life with the best friend of her life, while her legs struggle to keep her upright.

Phil licks his lips. "Mmm."

She cuts her eyes over at him curiously as he tosses her a lopsided grin. "That was minty fresh."

She laughs thinking about the breath freshener she'd had before leaving home. Of course, she wasn't preparing for anything..she was just needing something to do while she walked to his house trying to keep herself from breaking out into a dead run in the opposite direction. Or at least that's what she told herself.

"Well, thanks to spearmint tic-tacs, at least my breath was ok," she jokes.

He smirks. "It was fine." He adds more seriously, "You were perfect."

She turns her head and bites down on her lip to keep herself from having a total girl moment.

He chuckles and adds jokingly, "Well, except for one little thing."

She quickly looks back at him with worry on her face. He smiles, "I was expecting strawberry-banana."

"Sorry to disappoint," she replies with a laugh while mentally sighing in relief. She winks at him. "Maybe next time."

Thinking how lucky he is to get to share many more kisses with this girl, Phil chuckles to himself and stands up suddenly feeling light as air. "Well, are you ready for this?" he asks with a grin.

Keely raises her eyebrow. "For what exactly?"

"For our first public appearance as a.." He pauses. "We are a couple, right?" he asks with a hint of worry in his voice.

She laughs and places her hands on his shoulders to give him a little shake. "Phil, what more proof do you need?" she asks in exasperation.

His eyes light up instantly. "Well," he says mysteriously. "I could think of--"

She lightly smacks his arm and says sternly, "Don't even."

He laughs and rolls his eyes. "Ok, ok."

"I'm yours, Phil," she states firmly to leave him without any doubt. "And you're mine," she says under her breath. Though being completely obvious, a part of her needed to hear herself speak the words out loud. But even as she says it, she still finds it a little unbelievable.

Phil smiles and gently squeezes her hand. A part of him needed to hear it too. He replies in a quiet, sincere voice, "I've always been."

She smiles as the warmth returns. He adds with a quirky grin, "I couldn't be anything else."

After allowing herself time to savor his sweet words, Keely suddenly furrows her brow as she thinks about something he said just moments ago. "Public appearance?" she asks curiously as she tilts her head to the side. "We're going to make a public appearance?"

Phil grins and pulls her to the door where he pauses and looks back at her. "Well, as public as my parents go anyway."

She nods. "Got ya." She steps forward, but Phil blocks her path by stepping into it. "What?" she asks.

He regards her with a look of awe in his eyes as something occurs to him, though he's been aware of it for a long time. He thinks she must surely know too, but he feels he should tell her regardless.

"I love you, Keely," he says softly.

She blushes even though she was fairly certain of that knowledge. He smiles softly and turns to lead her downstairs, but she doesn't make a move to follow.

He turns back to her silently questioning her. "Don't worry about any next-time-desires, Phil," she says with a smile. "There won't be any." She adds softly, "I love you too."

A smile slowly spreads across his face, and she shakes her head and laughs lightly before pulling him through the doorway and down the hall where he brings them to a stop at the top of the stairs.

His mom stands at the bottom with a pleasant grin at the sight of her son and the girl standing close by his side. "Keely," she says happily. "Join us for dinner?"

Flicking her eyes over at Phil's smiling face for a quick beat before looking back down the stairs, she nods her head. "Thanks, Mrs. Diffy."

"Great." She glances down at their linked hands and smiles inwardly. "Great," she repeats with a wink at them before walking towards the kitchen.

Phil and Keely turn to each other no longer able to stifle their laughter.

"What's so funny?"

They turn their heads to see Pim standing behind them with her eyebrow raised.

"Nothing," Phil replies glancing over at Keely with a straight face.

"Yep, nothing," she agrees in a similar fashion.

Pim regards them suspiciously for a second and then shoves by her brother and takes off down the stairs.

"Whatever, freaks," she mumbles before glancing over her shoulder at them with a roll of her eyes. "It's about time."

Phil sighs. Keely shrugs. They let the moment pass without another thought given to it, and they descend the stairs together.

Finally..together.


	34. Chapter 34

The end has come. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this story, though, I'm not completely satisfied with it. The perfectionist in me screams out every little detailed mistake, and I can't quit wondering about what I put in and left out and could have made better...anyway. I really appreciate all the feedback I've received, and also I appreciate any readers who didn't review the story. I hope I've managed to entertain you nonetheless. But a special thanks goes out to the faithful. Your words mean so much to me. Thanks again!

Chapter 34

Several months later...

"Does this make me look frumpy?"

Keely turns away from the mirror she's currently modeling outfit number 12 in to look at Phil stretched out on the floor with his head propped up on her fuzzy pink heart pillow.

"Yep," he replies without hesitation after giving her a quick once-over.

Keely tightens her lips together and kicks his foot.

"Ow," he yelps as he sits up and rubs his ankle. He looks up at her through his lashes in irritation. She just grins and turns around to continue admiring herself in the mirror.

Straightening his spine as an odd feeling overcomes him, he mutters under his breath, "Whoa..deja vu."

Keely overhears his comment and looks down at his reflection. With a hand on her hip she scoffs, "Well, it's good to know you've managed to stay so honest." She adds in a near shout narrowing her eyes at him, "Even though I'm your _girlfriend_ and you should be _lying_ to me and telling me how _stunningly gorgeous _I am no matter what!"

Phil smirks. "And it's good to know that _you've_ managed to keep your prioritiesintact."

She crosses her arms over her chest and pouts. Phil rolls his eyes and holds up his hands. "Alright, alright." He sighs. "I take it back."

Ignoring him, Keely lifts her chin and glances down at herself approvingly. "Hmph," she says turning her head to look down at him with a smile, "are you sure I look frumpy in this?" She looks back at the mirror adding casually, "David likes it."

Phil shakes his head. "That was a _huge_ mistake, Teslow," he says as he quickly scoots over to her and grabs her wrist. Before she can react, he's pulling her down.

"Phil!" she exclaims as she loses her balance and falls to her knees. He laughs as his arms encircle her waist to hold her firmly in place in.

"I'm upset with you, you know," she says trying to sound as much. Phil lowers his head sympathetically. "Oh, of course."

Keely struggles in vain to escape his embrace and easily gives up unable to resist the pitifully adorable look on his face. She throws her hands in the air and leans her head back. "Fine!" She looks back at him. "I forgive you."

Phil scoffs. "_You_ forgive _me_?" He raises his eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be the one apologizing?"

"What for?" she sneers.

"Kicking me maybe?" He shrugs. "Being ungrateful of having a boyfriend who respects you enough to tell you the truth?"

Keely narrows her eyes. "Please."

Phil raises his eyebrow mischievously and tries a different tactic on her as he lowers his head to press a feather-light kiss to her neck. Instantly, her eyes flutter shut as a warmth rises to her face. She thinks that he's pretty good, and as his lips touch the skin over her pulse where she's sure he can feel it racing at supersonic speed, she's _knows_ he's _real_ good.

"Going to apologize now?" he whispers in a cool breath against her warm flesh.

She trembles slightly. "N-no," she stutters ungracefully.

"Ok then." He sighs and untangles himself from her as he scoots back to his previous position on her bedroom floor. "Be ungrateful," he says reclining back onto the small pillow and staring up at the ceiling.

After overcoming the state he'd managed to put her into, she scoffs at his stubborness as she rises to her feet. Glaring down at him while pointing her finger, she scolds, "Phil Diffy..."

He smiles at the use of his full name which usually only means one of two things: she's ecstatically happy or fuming mad.

Daring a look up at her, he sees it's clearly the latter. "Keel," he begins with a sigh, "I'm messing with you."

She doesn't seem too convinced. He props himself up on his elbows. "You know you're _stunningly gorgeous_ no matter what."

The ice begins to thaw. Phil shakes his head and continues, "But that particular..." he says looking at her clothes with a wince, "color and material combination doesn't do you any justice."

He shrugs. "That's all I was trying to say."

Keely glances down at herself and, in spite of herself, has to agree with him. What _was_ she thinking anyway?

He smirks. "Besides," he says slowly. "I'm more interested in what's _under_ the clothes."

Her eyes widen. "Phil Diffy!" she exclaims in disbelief as a rosy tint glows on her cheeks.

Phil rolls his eyes and makes a mental note to add 'embarrassed shock' to the reasons why she'd ever use his full name. He laughs. "Keely, I didn't mean what you think I meant."

She furrows her brow. "You didn't?"

"Kind of," he adds under his breath.

"What was that?" she asks having not quite made out his little comment.

He grins and replies in a perky voice. "I said, 'get your mind out of the gutter, Keel'."

"Uh huh," she says regarding him with suspicion.

Phil chuckles. "And I _meant_..I care more about _you_ than what you wear."

"Oh," she squeaks as she quickly grabs up a change of clothes off her bed. "Well, I'll be right back," she says without looking at him and hurries into the closet shutting the door behind her.

Phil stifles a fit of laughter and leans back with his arms crossed behind his head. Within a minute's time, Keely reappears. He glances up at her and smiles.

"Now that's a nice look for you," he says honestly.

Keely scoffs. "A faded pair of plaid pajama pants and this," she says while picking at her shirt, "old tank?"

He nods. "It only proves my point."

She raises her eyebrow and sits down on the floor next to him near his head. "And that would be...?"

"That you don't need embellishments to make you beautiful, Keel," he explains as he pulls himself up to sit facing her. He reaches out and cradles her hands in his.

"You just are." He grins and adds, "Stunningly so even."

A bright smile emerges through her scowl. "Really?"

Phil nods and leans closer to her. "Honest," he says softly with a little smirk before gently pressing his lips to hers.

Keely's eyelids fall and a light flutter arises in her chest. Even though they've shared countless kisses all in varying degrees of passion...she still hasn't received a single kiss from Phil that hasn't left her pleasantly numb and slightly weak.

At the lightest touch of his tongue to her bottom lip and the warmth of his hand on her hip, Keely wraps her arms around his neck deepening the kiss with a powerful intensity.

After several long..long minutes, Keely sighs contentedly from her spot on the floor where somehow they managed to find themselves on their backs looking up at the ceiling. She rolls onto her side and props her head up with her hand.

"I'm--"

Phil quickly turns his head to look at her. "If you say bored, I'm jumping out the window."

Keely laughs and pats her stomach. "_Hungry_."

His face relaxes in relief as he sits up. But then he suddenly looks back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You just had dinner not even 3 hours ago."

She sits up and shrugs. "So."

He rolls his eyes and rises to his feet as he offers his hand to her which she gladly accepts. He leads her to the door.

"Alright," he concedes. "There's bound to be plenty of leftovers from that gigantic feast your mom cooked up," he says with a smile.

Keely tugs on his hand forcing him to stop before opening the door. "Phil," she says softly.

He turns to her. "Yeah?"

"Thank you," she says seriously.

His eyes shine with curiosity. "For what?"

"For being..." she says while placing her free hand on his shoulder and giving him a tiny push. "You," she finishes with a soft smile.

She steps closer to him so that they're merely inches apart. "For being my best friend.." She leans forward and faintly touches her lips to his before drawing back to look into his eyes. "And for loving me."

He immediately embraces her in the warmest of hugs, which she happily returns. They rest in each other's arms for a brief moment before he pulls back.

As he looks at her now, natural and beautiful and with true love shining in her eyes, he realizes something remarkable. The bubbly young girl he met one fateful day that seems so long ago now became a faithful, trusted friend. And as time progressed, the single person in his life that knew his true identity, his secret...became the single most important person he'd ever met. She became his sole reason for not ever wanting to let go of the present.

And then, somewhere along the way, she became all that he wanted in life. She became all that he needed. She's not just Keely anymore. She is everything. And standing before her now with more love for her than he ever dreamed was possible, he stares into the face of his best friend, his confidante, and his first love, and the only love he'll ever need. Looking at her, he sees the future; the _only_ future for him.

As she gazes into his dark eyes and sweet smiling face, she realizes something too. The quirky, charming young boy she felt compelled to get to know became the best friend she'd ever hoped to have. And even though she doubted him, even though she tried to make herself believe she didn't need him and that she'd be better off without him, even though she was afraid of her true feelings, and even though she pushed him away...she never stopped loving him as a friend.

And over time, her heart changed. She changed. But not the way she'd believed. He's not just Phil anymore. He is everything.

Standing before him now with more love for him than she could have ever imagined, she sees how it all led to this very moment.

And even as the moment passes, it's not gone. It'll last forever.

"You're welcome," Phil says with a smile.

Keely returns the smile and places her arm around his shoulder as he does the same and they head downstairs. In the kitchen, she laughs softly as Phil glances over at her with a questioning look.

She teases, "And thanks for being the kind of boyfriend who respects me enough to tell me the truth."

Phil chuckles and sifts through the various containers of food in the refridgerator.

"I'm _very_ grateful."

He nods his appreciation and winks at her before handing her one of the plastic bowls. "Try not to burn all this off so quickly."

She rolls her eyes and takes the dish. "Well, I don't plan on doing any exercise at 9:00 at night so..."

They sit at the table and Keely eagerly digs in. Phil leans back in his chair and tries not to laugh at her as she barely pauses for air in between bites.

"Not even a light activity?" he asks raising his eyebrows.

Keely glances up at him with her heavily loaded fork stopping just shy of her open mouth. "Like what?" she asks in confusion.

He shrugs as a smile plays on his lips and his dark eyes gleam. Keely raises her eyebrow. "_Phil_.." she says in warning.

He holds up his hands. "I'm kidding." He laughs as he dodges a piece of bread.

Keely shakes her head. "Phil, Phil, Phil." She swallows a bite. "What am I ever going to do with you?"

He offers hopefully, "Keep me?"

She smiles. "Absolutely."

He nods completely satisfied with that answer. She looks back down at her food and scoffs. "Like anyone else would have you."

His face drops. She waits a beat before glancing up at him through her lashes and flashing him a wide grin.

The quiet kitchen erupts into chaos as Phil grabs ahold of whatever kind of morsel he can get his hands on while Keely ducks under the table trying to evade the onslaught of noodles and sauce.

And their laughter fades into the night.


End file.
